A Chance
by Star Tours Traveler
Summary: Jack and the five former Little Sisters, now his adopted daughters, do what they can to fit into the everyday life of 1960s America, despite one little problem…none of them knows how to live "normally."
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Jack and the five former Little Sisters, now his adopted daughters, do what they can to fit into the everyday life of 1960s America, despite one little problem…none of them knows how to live "normally."

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bioshock. I came up with the names for the five sisters but I don't own the sisters themselves.

**A/N: **I only recently got into Bioshock and so this is my first Bioshock fic. The story takes place a while after the good ending of Bioshock.

* * *

It was night time as Jack Ryan sat shivering with a blanket around his back inside of the galley on a freighter on its return trip to America from Iceland. He and the five rescued Little Sisters had been picked up by the freighter that had happened to spot the bathysphere floating in the ocean. The five girls had been given glasses of warm milk to help them sleep, on the cold floor of the galley with blankets over them and using some life preservers as pillows. Jack sat nearby, watching them sleep with as much as a warm smile as he could muster given the temperature. It was as if he had switched to the Winter Blast plasmid, which he still had access to. He could still use all of his Plasmids but he only had a limited supply of EVE left. He had nine full EVE hypos still on him as well. His gene tonics were still in full effect though and probably would remain that way for the rest of his life. He then noticed the first officer enter through the open hatch nearby.

The first officer was young as they go but noticeably older than Jack, but it was still a relief to not see someone looking anything like the disfigured Splicers in Rapture, but he still had his trusty wrench in hand just in case. The first officer glanced at the girls with a small smile before turning back to Jack.

"So, where ya headed?" the man asked with a slight Irish accent. Jack shrugged.

"America, I suppose." Jack said with the deep droning voice of the Big Daddy. He figured he was stuck with that voice for life now. The first officer jumped as soon as Jack spoke, not expecting the voice.

"_I guess this voice might have its perks." _Jack said mentally with a smile.

"You okay, lad? Your voice be soundin' strange 'n' I ain't 'ad a drop to drink in me life." The officer asked as Jack glanced away slightly, trying to come up with an excuse. Explaining Rapture and the Big Daddy's to him would probably get him locked away in the brig out of nervousness by the crew for coming off as an absolute lunatic so the truth was a big fat, no.

"Accident. My voice got messed up. It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it." Jack replied, the voice still a little unnerving to the officer, and kinda to Jack for that matter.

"Well, it doesn't matter. But the Cap'n' wants to know how ya got there in the middle of the bloody ocean…and in a bathysphere of all the contraptions in the world." The officer said as Jack shrugged.

"Again, long story." Jack replied.

"Mmm, well. So where did the girls come from? Or, are they also a part of this, 'long story?" the officer asked, making Jack finger the wrench in his hand, ready to strike if necessary. The girls had saved his life and he had every intention of returning the favor.

"We saved each other's lives. I'd appreciate it if you didn't press the issue." Jack replied, the droning Daddy voice now sounding threatening. He had his Electro Bolt Plasmid ready now in addition to the wrench, ready for a quick shock then quick blow to the head with the wrench. The ol' one-two punch as "Atlas" had referred to it.

"Relax lad, I'm not 'ere to antagonize ya. I'm just askin' some simple questions. You know, makin' conversation." The officer said as Jack sighed slightly. He wasn't used to conversation after all the one way radio communication that happened in Rapture.

"Look, I'm sorry if ya just went through some sort of disaster, but I'm just tryin' to help." The officer said as Jack nodded.

"I know you are. It's not that I don't want to talk about it but, talking about it would make me sound crazy. And I want to protect those girls more than I do myself." Jack explained as the officer looked down at his feet thoughtfully. He seemed to be thinking about what Jack had said.

"Well…I can respect that. One question though. Are they yours or-…" the officer asked, letting his sentence drop off intentionally. Jack sighed slightly, rubbing his hand over the scars where the Big Daddy Voice Altering Machine altered his vocal chords.

"They're not mine, but they don't have any parents now. They're not even true siblings. They've all got different parents. I just happened to rescue them, and they in turn, rescued me." Jack explained as the officer glanced at the girls as they continued sleeping quietly.

"Do ya even know their names, lad?" The officer asked as Jack shook his head.

"Does a man have to know the name of another, just to give them a helping hand?" Jack asked, raising his hand slightly, glancing at his wrist where the chain tattoos were.

"Aye, ya have a point. By the way, what is your name?" the officer asked curiously.

"My name is Jack…Jack Ryan." Jack said as the officer smiled with a friendly nod and extended his hand to the man.

"Well, nice to meet ya, Jack. That short for Jonathan?" the officer asked. Jack chuckled slightly and nodded. He really didn't have an inkling as to what his real name was or if he even had one save for Jack so he just decided to assume it was Jonathan "Jack" Ryan.

"How long will it take to reach civilization?" Jack asked as the officer stood up.

"Oh, a few days, give or take. Cap'n has the engine's goin' slow though. Says there was a plane crash near here a few days ago. Wants to keep an eye out for debris or survivors…say, you wouldn't happen to be…nah that's preposterous. I mean, how would you 'ave ended up in that bathysphere with five lil' girls with ya if you were in a plane crash?" the officer asked, laughing as he walked out the door. Jack simply scowled as he watched the man leave.

"You have no idea." He mumbled.

"Mr. Bubbles?" Jack turned and saw one of the girls, a blue eyed brunette, had awoken.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" he asked as the girl.

"I heard you talking to someone? Is everything alright Mr. B?" the girl asked as she approached him, kneeling down and resting her chin on his leg, staring up at him with a worried look.

"Yes, everything's fine. Go back to sleep." Jack replied, grabbing a bottle of whisky that had been left for him by the ship's cook to help keep him warm during the night.

"I'm scared Mister Bubbles." The girl replied as Jack took a quick sip of the whiskey.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, his droning voice, apparently soothing to her. He also figured that the Big Daddy pheromones helped too.

"What's going to happen now, Mr. Bubbles?" another girl asked. Jack looked up to see that all of the girls had awoken. Jack paused for a moment, struggling to think of an answer.

"I…I don't know." Jack said as the girls started crowding around him.

"Where are we going?" another girl asked with a slight Russian accent.

"We're going somewhere…on the surface. To a place called America." Jack said, intriguing the girls slightly.

"America?" "Is it underwater too?" "Are there angels there?" the girls started asking.

"It's not underwater. It'll…it'll be like Arcadia, sort of. Lots of people, no Splicers, no ADAM, and no angels." Jack explained as best he could from his implanted memories. The girls looked up at him in amazement as if he were telling them a thrilling story. They quickly sat down in front of him.

"Tell us more Mr. B!" "Yeah, tell us more about America!" "Please, Mr. B! Tell us more!" the girls started pleading. Jack looked at each of them, his heart breaking finally.

"Alright, but…first I want to ask you girls, one thing. What are your names?" Jack asked. All but one of the girls looked at each other in silent confusion.

"I dunno my name." "Me too." "Do you know my name?" "Nuh-uh." "Do you know my name, Mr. Bubbles?" "My name is Masha." The girls started saying. When one girl introduced herself as Masha, something clicked in Jack's mind. He quickly flashed back to one of the audio diaries from a Russian born woman who said her daughter had been taken to become a little sister, and had committed suicide in despair upon seeing her with a Big Daddy.

"Masha?" Jack asked as the girl nodded. She had thick black hair and brown eyes.

"Do you know your last name?" Jack asked as the girl thought for a moment. She then shook her head.

"Sorry Mr. Bubbles, I don't." the girl replied. Jack sat back for a moment in thought. He suspected that this was a possible side effect of either the ADAM slug or the mental conditioning.

"It's okay. My name is Jack." Jack said, pointing to himself.

"But, you're Mr. Bubbles. You're Daddy." One of the girls said, causing Jack to pause.

"_Daddy?" _He asked himself.

"What's your last name Mr. Bubbles?" "Yeah, you asked Masha what her last name was, so what's yours?" the girls asked.

"Ryan." Jack replied.

"Then that'll be my last name too!" one of the girls declared proudly.

"Me too!" "OOH ME-ME-ME-ME!" "And me!" "Can I be Ryan too?" the girls and Masha said causing Jack's heart to break even more. He was beginning to realize what bringing the girls to the surface would mean. His Big Daddy pheromones, plus their remaining mental conditioning to be with a Big Daddy, and their total lack of memory from before they were made Little Sisters, meant that they'd need someone to protect them, and that was gonna be him.

"Sure…you can all be, Ryan's." Jack said, a tear forming in his eye.

"Then what about our names?" "Yeah, if Masha has a name, then we need one too." The girls said as Jack smiled and sighed, a little weepy for some strange reason.

"Well…uh…" Jack said, turning towards a redheaded and grey eyed, girl, "…you can be…Rebecca."

"What about me, Mr. Bubbles?" a black haired and green eyed girl asked.

"You can be…Suzanna." Jack said before turning to the brunette.

"You're…Amelia." Jack said before turning finally to a blond haired girl with blue eyes.

"And you are-…" Jack said but was interrupted by the loud thumping of feet on the metal floor nearby. He quickly stood up, his hand on his upgraded revolver and the Electro Bolt Plasmid ready. Suddenly the first officer entered holding something in his hand.

"Mr. Ryan! Mr. Ryan! We found these in the bathysphere! This was making an awful racket!" the officer said, holding up one of the audio diary machines from Rapture in one hand and a brown metal briefcase with the Rapture insignia in the other.

"I'll take them. Thanks." Jack said as the officer laid them both out on one of the tables before backing out of the galley.

"I'll leave ya to 'em." The officer said, still a little unnerved by Jack's voice. Probably for the better because Jack wanted to listen to this on his own, the girls excluded. He closed the hatches to the galley before finally sitting down and hitting play on the diary.

"_I'm not sure how to start this message but…here it goes."_ Dr. Tenenbaum's voice filtered through.

"_If you're listening to this message, then chances are that you've managed to escape Rapture. I sent five of the little ones to help you in dealing with Fontaine and I'm assuming that you've taken them with you. Regardless, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all you've done for the little ones and me. After you killed Andrew Ryan and left to go after Fontaine, I went to Ryan's office. There I found important documents that Ryan had stolen from Fontaine. Documents detailing Fontaine's smuggling operations. He had a sizable bank account in a bank in New York City in America set up for when he would return to the surface. He had written down all of his account information on these papers, and as it does no use to me down here except to, perhaps, keep a fire going, I have given them all to you in the briefcase that's with this recorder so that you and the little ones can live out there. (Sigh) I still don't understand you…they offered you the city…and you refused it. And what did you do instead? What I come to expect of you. You saved them. You gave them the one thing that was stolen from them…A chance. A chance to learn, to find love, to live. And in the end, what was your reward? You never said, but I think I know…a family…Goodbye mien friend. And thank you."_

At that, the recorder clicked off, Jack staring at it in silence, the girls, each clinging to him silently. He looked down at the girls, placing his arms around them.

"Mr. Bubbles?" Amelia asked worriedly.

"Was that Mama Brigid?" the unnamed girl asked.

"Yes, that was her." Jack replied, carefully opening the briefcase. Once opened, he found a loaded unmodified revolver, a record case from "Rapture Records" and two file folders. The first folder was marked as "Fontaine's Finances" and the other was marked "Read this!" Jack opened the "Read this" folder and inside found detailed instructions on how to slowly wean himself off of ADAM, instructions that obviously were printed during Fontaine's stint in producing the various plasmids and gene tonics since it had an advertisement at the bottom, offering the alternative of purchasing more tonics and plasmids from Fontaine Futuristics for those who "changed their minds." Jack smiled as he placed his remaining EVE hypos into the briefcase along with the pistol. He then glanced at the recorder from Dr. Tenenbaum before turning to the unnamed girl.

"You can be…Brigid." Jack said with a smile of pride as the girls smiled back at him, all happy to have names and be part of a family for the first time that they can remember. It was the birth of the new Ryan family.

* * *

**Five Months Later…**

Jonathan "Jack" Ryan, now a young billionaire due to Fontaine's surface accounts, living in a nice suburban home in the coastal town of Barton, North Carolina. **(1)** He lives with his five girls, Rebecca, Suzanna, Brigid, Masha, and Amelia Ryan. Despite being a billionaire, Jack has found a job as a repairman at a local fix-it shop, putting his trusty wrench to its rightful usage instead of bashing splicer heads in. Truthfully though he had retired the old wrench, turning it into a paperweight, since the sight of bloodstains might unnerve people or cause them to ask questions which he desperately wanted to avoid. The girls all attend school several blocks away from their house. The house itself is a quaint looking white ranch house with a small garden near the front porch that the girls will sometimes tend to. Jack and the girls were surprisingly integrating quite well into the "surface society" as Jack started referring to it.

Jack had managed to wean himself off of ADAM and the Plasmids during the boat ride to America, and his withdrawal symptoms weren't as bad as it was when he forced himself to quit smoking, since he hadn't been continually spliced like the rest of the citizens of Rapture. He could feel that his DNA was still overwritten by the splicing and could tell the Plasmids and Gene tonics were in effect, albeit without the necessary power to do anything noticeable. Once in awhile he would be working on a radio or a television and it would spontaneously and briefly turn on as a result of his Electro Bolt plasmid, but most everyone attributed it to his, "bumping something." They'd never realize that the device wasn't plugged in whenever it occurred. The girls seemed to be free from all symptoms of ADAM withdrawal, which Jack guessed was a side effect of the special Plasmid that Tenenbaum had given him upon their first meeting.

Despite their calm lifestyle, Jack did have a small amount of paranoia. He took it upon himself to learn sign language so he could avoid using his Big Daddy voice, which would cause questions. He wasn't so much worried about the girls saying anything since anything they said about underwater cities or various other Rapture related issues could be written off as childish fantasies. He had also locked up the modified weaponry and specialty rounds from Rapture in a large safe in his room but he kept the unmodified revolver from Tenenbaum, hidden, unloaded, and locked inside a desk drawer in his room just in case of emergency. He also feared that he would be discovered as having randomly appeared in America with no identification, no background information, and five little girls with different parents and with no identification either. He also feared having to take them or himself to the doctor's office. He knew that if doctors performed any blood work on any of them, that they would find the traces of ADAM in their systems. Plus, the girls had a natural fear for doctors thanks to Dr. Suchong and his minions. It was moments like this that they would cling closely to "Mr. Bubbles."

On the flipside, he would occasionally glance out towards the east at night, towards the ocean and wonder what had, and would, become of Rapture. He didn't care if the city itself stayed secret or not but he knew that trying to explain it would end up making people suspicious and put the girls lives in possible danger. When it came to the girls, he would lay his life on the line. If any danger would come their way, he wouldn't think twice about reaching for one of the EVE Hypos in the safe with the rest of the weapons and literally Incinerating anyone who dared touch his girls wrongly. Fortunately this hasn't happened…yet.

Then one day, the girls came home with the most unexpected news. News of something that made him rather nervous…

"Mr. Bubbles," Masha said with her slight Russian accent, "Our teacher, Miss Stein, says that you have to come to the school tomorrow afternoon."

"She said that you need to attend a, Parent-teacher conference." Brigid added. Jack sighed, knowing that this was going to be a meeting to remember.

* * *

**End Chapter 1.**

**Please R&R…**

(1) – I invented the town of Barton, NC. As far as I know, it doesn't exist.


	2. Julie Stein

R. Fulton Elementary and Preschool, an all around good school for preschool through elementary aged children. It was a simple red brick building with two floors. The preschool and kindergarten classes were on the first floor while the second floor housed the elementary classes. Jack Ryan looked up at this place as if he were contemplating having to fight a Big Daddy for either the Little Sister it was escorting or the sizeable amount of cash they always carried. He was wearing a simple white work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a simple pair of tan workpants his finest pair of dress shoes and his hair was combed back with plenty of Brill Cream. He was even beginning to grow a small pointed moustache reminiscent of Andrew Ryan's. Finally he sighed and started to slowly trudge inside, walking almost like the Big Daddy but without the diving suit. He could hear laughter in the halls which helped ease his apprehension. He couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh but he quickly covered his mouth in panic when he realized that he had made a sound akin to the Big Daddy's trademark moans. The secretary glanced up at him with a curious look on her face.

"May I help you?" the woman asked with a sniff over her black framed reading glasses.

"I'm here for a parent-teacher conference with a Miss Stein." Jack signed but the woman furrowed her brow with the look that Jack had grown to recognize as telling him that she didn't understand sign language. Jack sighed again and reached into his pocket, pulling out a notepad and writing down…

"I'm here for a parent-teacher conference with a Miss Stein. I use sign language to speak." He then showed it to the woman whose eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh. I see. Well the children in Miss Stein's class will be released for recess soon. You can wait here in the waiting area here for now." The woman said before turning back to her typewriter. Jack plopped down onto a nearby chair next to a stack of magazines and the morning's newspaper. He picked up the newspaper and started reading. Nothing of interest to speak of but one thing did catch his eye. It was an article on the "Arctic Triangle." An area similar to something called the Bermuda Triangle. Both were where ships and airplanes had mysteriously vanished without any warning whatsoever. The Arctic Triangle however was centered right on top of Rapture. In the article it was noted that the most recent disappearance was none other than the very plane he had "kindly" hijacked and brought down near the Rapture Lighthouse. This gave him a twinge of survivor's guilt, on top of the guilt of having hijacked said plane to begin with. This prompted him to unintentionally sigh again, earning a slightly frightened look from the secretary.

Meanwhile, down the hall in Miss Stein's room, the room fell silent when they heard Jack's unique droning. The five girls however were ecstatic.

"Mr. Bubbles is here!" Amelia exclaimed happily.

"Who?" Miss Stein asked. She was a young woman in her early twenties with neck length curled blond hair (when it wasn't kept in a bun) and hazel colored eyes. She wore a faded green dress shirt and dark green skirt with black penny loafers. She had no jewelry on her save for a pair of hooplike earrings.

"Mr. Bubbles!" Masha replied.

"Our daddy!" Suzanna added.

"You call your father, Mr. Bubbles?" Miss Stein asked curiously.

"Sure. What should we call him, Miss Stein?" Rebecca asked back.

"Well, most children call their father, Papa, or Daddy, or Dad, or even Father." Miss Stein explained.

"But he's Mr. Bubbles. The Big Daddy." Brigid replied innocently.

"Big Daddy?" Miss Stein asked confused. She was getting a little eager to meet the illusive Jonathan Ryan.

"Yes ma'am. He's our Big Daddy. He protects us while we look for angels and ADAM." Amelia explained.

"Angels and Adam?" Miss Stein asked even more confused. She had heard the girls mention both before, but never in regard to anyone known as "Big Daddy." Before she could say anything more, the bell rang and the entire classroom exploded into cheers of happiness as the children ran for the door to the playground outside.

"Alright everyone, line up! Line up!" Miss Stein ordered as the children complied. She then noticed that the five Ryan girls were a little hesitant, like something had switched on inside of them and they each looked towards the door to the classroom from the hallway.

"He's coming." Brigid whispered excitedly and the five sisters started bouncing on their feet excitedly. The other children looked towards the door as well as if something had caught their attention. Finally the door opened, but when it did, the five Ryan girls bolted towards it and glomped their "Big Daddy," knocking him onto the floor where he landed with a guttural groan. The other students and Miss Stein gathered near the doorway to see the girls hugging Jack with gleeful looks on their faces. Jack was also grinning with pride, kissing each of his daughters on the forehead before noticing the somewhat amused expression of Miss Stein.

"Mr. Ryan I presume?" Miss Stein asked as the girls quickly helped Jack back up onto his feet. He then grasped her hand in a firm handshake with a nod.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Stein." Jack signed which surprised Miss Stein.

"Oh uh…" Miss Stein said before raising her hand.

"Likewise, Mr. Ryan." Miss Stein signed back, Jack's eyes lighting up with surprise. She then turned to the rest of the children.

"Alright everyone, time to go outside." Miss Stein said as the children quickly filed to the door. The Ryan girls took some convincing but they finally managed to leave the side of their Big Daddy. Finally the two were alone in the classroom.

"Please, have a seat Mr. Ryan." Miss Stein signed. Jack nodded and took a seat at one of the desks near the front.

"With respect, ma'am, you can talk. I'm not deaf, only mute." Jack signed as Miss Stein gave an understanding nod.

"I understand. I apologize if I made you feel awkward just now." Miss Stein said as Jack shrugged.

"I'm used to it by now." Jack signed back.

"I'm sure. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been mute?" Miss Stein asked as Jack paused.

"Well…" he signed, "…I've never been officially declared a mute. I suffered a vocal injury that's left my voice in a rather…unique…state. It's been this way for five months."

"Unique?" Miss Stein asked as Jack took breath.

"I warn you, it's going to sound a bit frightening." Jack signed as Miss Stein nodded.

"I'm not afraid. I just don't want you hurting your voice anymore than normal." Miss Stein replied.

"It's not injured." Jack spoke, his droning voice a total surprise to Miss Stein, causing her to jump slightly.

"My word! What happened to make it change to that?" Miss Stein asked.

"That's a rather personal matter. I'd rather not discuss it." Jack replied as Miss Stein nodded.

"Very well. I can respect your privacy Mr. Ryan." Miss Stein said as Jack frowned. He slowly grew to dislike his last name when people referred to him as Mr. Ryan, since it reminded him of Andrew Ryan.

"Please, call me Jack, Miss Stein." Jack replied, earning a smile from Miss Stein.

"Only if you agree to call me, Julia." Miss Stein said as Jack nodded.

"Done. Now what's this conference all about anyway?" Jack asked as Julia shrugged.

"Well, this is really just the school's way of getting in touch with the parents and keeping them up to date on their children's progress. Your girls are very well behaved and very talented Mr. Ryan-er-I-mean-Jack." Julia explained, earning a chuckle from Jack.

"I know. I'm very fortunate to have them." Jack replied with a smile and a glance out the window to where the little sisters were playing with the other children.

"I imagine so. There are a few issues that we should discuss about them. First off, I gather that they don't have a mothering figure at home, do they?" Julia asked as Jack shook his head.

"No. I'm all they have." Jack replied with a sad look on his face.

"Well it shows. But they are very well behaved and they definitely adore you apparently. Though they keep referring to you as Mr. Bubbles or Big Daddy. Do you know where they get that?" Julia asked as Jack shrugged.

"No clue. You know kids and their imaginations right?" Jack asked. He knew the real reason and he wasn't about to spill the beans about Rapture.

"I thought I'd ask. Which reminds me of something. They're fascinated by nature. They love the grass and trees. Little Masha said that they were just like the ones in somewhere called, Arcadia?" Julia said as Jack shrugged.

"Beats me." He lied.

"They seem to find the sky interesting too. They say it's so much brighter than some place called…oh what was that name?" Julia asked as Jack sighed and filled in the blank.

"Rapture?" he asked as Julia snapped her fingers in realization.

"That's it! That's the place they talk about all the time. I've looked at a map and I can't find anywhere named Rapture." Julia explained.

"Rapture is the name of an underwater city built by a societal outcast and brilliant mastermind. It's some distance off the coast of Iceland." Jack explained, earning a dumbfounded look from Julia.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"It's the name of a book I've given thought to writing. My father once told me about it before he disappeared. It's just a bedtime story he made up. I tell it to the girls at night sometimes." Jack explained. It was a well rehearsed explanation for anyone who thought to inquire as to the girl's mentions of Rapture.

"Oh so that's it! Well that makes since. But their curiosity about nature is definitely a nice thing. Another thing, and please stop me if I'm going too far in asking, are they all adopted?" Julia asked as Jack nodded.

"They're each from a different family. They were orphans when I found each of them. They each lived in some of the poorest places of America, Russia, and Germany. I took them in and gave them a chance…a chance to learn, to find love, to live. Is a man not entitled to these things?" Jack asked, before mentally kicking himself for starting to sound like his father with the "is a man not entitled" line.

"You must be well traveled, Jack." Julia said, leaning against her desk with a smile. Jack shrugged.

"I've been around." He replied.

"Regardless, I think what you've done for those girls is a very kind thing to do." Julia said as Jack sighed.

"If someone doesn't help the less fortunate, who will?" Jack asked.

"Very true. Well, other than the update on the girl's progress, and my curiosity appeased, I suppose this just about wraps up our meeting." Julia said as Jack stood up, extending his hand.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you Julia." Jack replied with a smile and a handshake as Julia smiled back.

"Likewise, Jack." Julia replied as Jack nodded.

"By the way, where did you learn sign language?" Jack asked as he headed for the door.

"Oh, my father is a family psychologist. He had a patient who was deaf since birth and so he had to learn sign language in order to communicate. We decided to all learn it together so we could help if necessary." Julia explained as Jack nodded.

"Interesting." Jack signed before he opened the door.

"It's been nice meeting you." Julia signed as Jack nodded.

"Likewise." He signed back before walking out the door, leaving Julia to herself as the students continued playing on the playground outside. She glanced out the windows, watching the children playing under the supervision of one of the other teachers. She took particular notice of the five Ryan girls as they didn't so much as play as ply the teacher with questions about nature.

"An underwater city…Rapture. Hmm." Julia said to herself. She then turned and started walking towards the door to the outside, passing the student's desks as she walked. She then spotted something on the desk, belonging to one of the girls. It was a crude drawing of the five girls holding hands with what looked like someone with a grey body and a big round head with a single yellow eye in the center. She looked at it carefully, not quite sure what it was. She started looking at the other girl's desks, finding a similar drawing on Amelia's desk. This one however was of a towering metropolis city with a green and blue skyline. There also appeared to be drawings of fish and other sea creatures around it. She simply shrugged and headed back to the front but in her gut she could tell that something was a little off about Jack. Like he was hiding something from her, something he desperately wanted hidden. She started replaying her conversation with Jack Ryan over and over in her mind. She had learned from her father to tell when people lied about something and Jack had shown these telltale signs occasionally throughout their conversation. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to interfere since he was doing such a nice thing for the girls but she couldn't shake this feeling that there was more to him than what he said.

"Perhaps…perhaps I should try and find these answers on my own."

**...**

Jack pulled his car into the driveway of his house. The car was a 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 painted with a white and cyan color scheme. He wanted to be frugal with his money since he had a relatively low income. As he headed inside, he noticed a figure moving around from the windows in the house. Suspecting trouble, he reached into the glove compartment and removed his trusty wrench from inside it before heading to the door, ready to bash the intruder in the head if necessary. He cautiously opened the door, wrench in hand, and crept inside. He didn't see anyone but he could hear the sound of the wooden floor creaking under the weight of the intruder. He decided to try and scare them out. He took a deep breath and let out a moan that sounded like a Big Daddy.

"I didn't come here to hear the sound of a Big Daddy's groaning." A familiar voice spoke from the dining room, causing Jack to freeze where he stood. The sound of approaching footsteps soon revealed a face that Jack never imagined he'd see again.

"Is the wrench, really necessary?"

It was Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum.

* * *

**End Chapter 2**

I own Julie Stein and no, this is not going to be a Jack/Tenenbaum fic.


	3. Tenenbaum

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked as he closed the door behind him and stormed past her.

"I'm here because I was looking for you." Tenenbaum replied as Jack sighed in frustration.

"How did you leave Rapture?" Jack asked as he started walking into the kitchen. The kitchen was typical of a 1960s kitchen. It had a large countertop with an oven and refrigerator. There was a small window that overlooked the side yard. It was directly connected with the dining room which had a single large wooden table with seven chairs around it, six on the sides and two at the ends.

"I have a private Bathysphere. I used it to get to Iceland with as many of the little ones that I could rescue. I hid it and managed to find a place for the girls. They're being taken care of. I then managed to book a flight to America." Tenenbaum explained as Jack took a drink of water from a glass he had prepared throughout her explanation.

"Then how did you find me?" he asked.

"Easy. I traced your account information and found you here. It was not difficult." Tenenbaum replied as Jack sighed again.

"But why were you looking for me?" Jack asked.

"Because you are the only person on the surface that I know. I left Rapture because the Splicers were getting bolder. They were getting desperate and they could smell the traces of ADAM within my little ones in the sanctuary. I knew it was time to leave when I noticed that most of the little ones still in the city were beginning to go through the changes into adulthood. The ADAM causes these changes to start a little earlier than usual but once they start, they essentially will become just like the others. There was nothing left for me there." Tenenbaum explained.

"So…what do you need me for? I can't take in more girls as much as I would want to, I just-." Jack explained but Tenenbaum interrupted.

"No, I'm not asking you to take care of the girls. I'm essentially becoming something that your father despised. A parasite. I need money and a job. I have nothing left. You are the only person I can trust." Tenenbaum said as Jack started walking towards the den, deep in thought. The den was spacious and was a part of the entryway. There was a single red leather wing backed chair sitting in a corner next to a pair of bookcases sitting adjacent to each other. Next to the chair was a small table with a lamp and a book on it. In the adjacent corner was a small table with three chairs around it and several half finished drawings. Three used Rapture Med kit boxes served as crayon boxes. Between the chair and the small table was the door to Jack's room and the guest rooms. Along the wall next to the chair was a door to the girls rooms and a combination phonograph and radio next to the door. There were photos mounted on the wall of Jack, the girls, and even a photo of Andrew Ryan and Jasmine Jolene, Jack's biological parents. There was even a photo of Dr. Tenenbaum resting next to life preserver from the ship that brought Jack and the girls to America. The opposite wall had a wooden, red fabric, sitting couch with a landscape portrait hanging over it. The floor was wooden but had a decorative rug over it. Jack walked over and sat down in the chair with a thoughtful look. Tenenbaum sat on the couch, looking at him curiously.

"If it's money you need-." Jack started to offer, but again Tenenbaum interrupted.

"No, I refuse charity. I need a job. I know the girls are scared of doctors and that you would probably wish to avoid having to visit one with the remnants of ADAM in your system. I can help with that. I can also continue some of my work in researching a cure to the sickness that is caused by the ADAM." Tenenbaum explained as Jack leaned back in thought.

"Well…I have a proposal." Jack said as Tenenbaum looked at him intrigued.

"Go on." She said as Jack leaned forward.

"The girls need a mothering figure and I need someone who can be here to pick them up if necessary. The house is usually in good shape so-." Jack explained but once again Tenenbaum interrupted.

"You need a maid." She said bluntly.

"Not necessarily. You'd have plenty of free time while the girls are at school and while I'm at work. You'll be able to devote that time to researching that cure you're talking about. I'll pay you to simply be here just in case something happens." Jack said as Tenenbaum leaned back in thought.

"It is an interesting proposition. I'd need some place to stay." Tenenbaum said.

"You'd live here, free room and board. We have two guest bedrooms and you can claim either one of them for yourself. I'll pay you simply to be here for the girls, to be a mothering figure for them. They need one desperately and they know you so they'll be more open with you." Jack explained as Tenenbaum thought for a moment.

"Very well. I'll stay, Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum replied as Jack nodded appreciatively.

"Thanks Doctor. Perhaps you can even find a way to fix my voice." Jack said as Tenenbaum looked hesitant.

"I'm afraid that, what Fontaine said about becoming a Big Daddy, is true. It's a one way street. I don't think that I can fix your voice…or the smell for that matter." Tenenbaum said as Jack's eye twitched.

"I thought it was just a spray. I've showered constantly and it still won't come off." Jack said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"In remembering the ingredients, there was a small amount of ADAM in it, so it probably seeped in through the skin. It's possible that the ADAM caused your skin to start naturally producing the Big Daddy pheromones." Tenenbaum explained as Jack's eye twitched even more before he picked up the book on the table next to his chair and trudged into his room.

Jack's room was small compared to most of the others. It had a single bed against the wall underneath two windows. One looked out to the side yard and the other looked to the back. Opposite his bed was the closet and between the closet door and the door to his room was a desk with a corkboard on the wall over it. He had been researching his father, Andrew Ryan, and was keeping his notes up on the board. The desk held several files and documents, all of the audio diary tapes he had collected from Rapture along with the tape player itself, plus the revolver that Tenenbaum had given him. At the foot of his bed was a steamer trunk that held the grenade launcher and chemical sprayer from Rapture. On the wall opposite the door was a tall metal safe that held the modified shotgun, crossbow, Tommy gun, and revolver from Rapture along with all the ammo for the weapons and his remaining EVE Hypos plus five med kits. On the desk were his research camera and a small phonograph. The desk chair was a simple wooden swivel chair with green felt padding.

He sat down at the desk and cracked open the book. He was about to continue where he had left off in it when he heard the phonograph start up in the den. He suspected that Tenenbaum wanted to put some music on but was surprised when he heard the music was none other than "Rise, Rapture, Rise." He stepped out into the den and saw Tenenbaum was sitting in his chair, reading a book from off the shelf.

"Something wrong?" she asked. Jack simply shrugged and walked over to the phonograph, picking up the cover to the record, looking at the "Rapture Records" label on the cover. He shrugged again and put the cover in a small bin by the radio and phonograph with a number of additional records before turning towards the doctor. He knew the girls would get a kick out of having Dr. Tenenbaum there with them. He simply had to come up with a cover story for anyone who asked questions about her sudden appearance.

"Actually…" Jack said, turning down the volume slightly, "…we need to discuss something's. Namely what are we going to tell other people about you?"

"I'm the girl's nanny." Tenenbaum stated plainly without looking up from the book.

"I was thinking that you could be a friend of the family that took care of me when I was younger. I simply called upon you to help me take care of the girls." Jack said, earning a curious look from Tenenbaum.

"That is an interesting play on the truth. Yes I did take care of you as an infant in Suchong's lab and I suppose we are technically friends." Tenenbaum said before nodding. "Very well, that will be the story."

"Good, then shall we get you settled into your room?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum glared at him.

"I am settled. I had nothing when I arrived here except for the clothes on my back." Tenenbaum replied.

"Fine-fine. You should probably learn the girl's names though." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded and lowered the book as Jack reached for the photo of the girls off the wall.

"A good idea." She said as she joined him on the couch. Jack then proceeded to point out each of the girl's names. She started taking notes even to help her recognize and remember them. Their full names were; Rebecca Jasmine Ryan, Suzanna Diane Ryan, Brigid Elizabeth Ryan, Masha Lutz Ryan, and Amelia Samantha Ryan. Rebecca's middle name was Jack's mother's stage name though he really didn't know it was her stage name at the time. Suzanna's middle name was in honor of Diane McClintock, the unfortunate former lover of Andrew Ryan who was murdered by Frank Fontaine when she stumbled upon him while he was out of his Atlas persona at the moment. Masha's middle name was actually her true last name but Jack decided to hold off on telling her that until she was older.

"You've honored me by giving Brigid that name. I'm touched." Tenenbaum said as Jack shrugged.

"There were some people from Rapture who should be remembered. They deserve as much." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"You are right. You know, you are a little like your father in some respect. Some of the same facial features but you have something similar to him. You have his brilliant mind and some of his ideals. You have his good traits but you have one thing that Andrew Ryan didn't often show. You have compassion in your heart, and that is something that cannot be gained from splicing or mental conditioning. It is created by your own choice." Tenenbaum explained before standing up and heading to her room, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. He soon found himself staring at the photograph of his father. Jack tried to figure out why he had put his picture up there but eventually came to realize that it was at the, very least, to show what little honor to his father that he could muster, all things considered.

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

Tenenbaum had integrated nicely into the family and she had even started making sure the house was in order, despite Jack's protests that it was unnecessary. Her response was that it was the least she could do. Jack quietly gave her a raise for it. With Tenenbaum there, he could now go fulltime at the fix-it shop. Jack was sitting at a workbench at the Barton Fix-It shop, tinkering with a broken radio as another radio behind him played the music of some rock-n-roll singer named Elvis. Across from him was a rather tough woman who Jack believed could have been the basis for the old Rosie the Riveter posters he had seen (Although she appropriately had the personality of a Rosie type Big Daddy). She wore blue overalls with a blue work shirt and a red paisley decaled bandana over her hair. Her name was Jean Rothschild. Jack wasn't in the slightest bit intimidated by her so long as he had a wrench nearby. He had killed Big Daddies before after all. Standing nearby was the shop owner, a man named Richard Mycroft. Whenever there weren't any customers he would work on some of the devices but he was usually interacting with the customers.

"Hey, Jack, pass me that screwdriver." Jean said with a gruff voice. Jack silently complied, handing her a screwdriver just as the bell to the front door opened.

"Hey, Dick! I've got something for ya." One of the entering customers said. Jack knew the voice as the neighboring drug store owner, Bob Malcolm.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Dick asked.

"My cigarette dispenser broke on me and I need to do something with it." Bob said as Dick shrugged.

"Well, we could fix it for you." Dick replied.

"Well you see, here's the problem. I've already got another one coming in already to replace it. I was wondering if I could just toss the old one in your junk pile out back." Bob asked as Dick turned towards the silent Jack and Jean.

"Jack, Jean, can either of you give him a hand?" Dick said as the two joined in helping to move the broken cigarette vender out into a small junk pile in the back alley. The second Jack saw it; it immediately reminded him of the Circus of Values vending machines from Rapture. The twist knobs were arranged in almost exactly the same and it even had the large metal side slots for coins. This got Jack thinking. As soon as Dick was paid to store it by Bob, Jack approached his boss.

"Excuse me." He signed, earning Dick's attention

"Hmm? Yes Jack?" Dick asked.

"Do you suppose I could do some work on this? I've got a few ideas on what we could do with it." Jack signed as Dick shrugged.

"Sure, it's just an old piece of junk. Just don't get behind in your other repairs." Dick said as Jack nodded.

"Yes sir." He signed back as he started by opening the container that held all the cigarettes. He took the boxes of cigarettes and chucked them into an empty box to be returned to Bob next door. He checked the workings and made a few quick fixes and adjustments before opening the empty coin box. All in good condition save for the coin slider which was broken. An easy fix. He quickly fixed the slider and closed it up so he could return to the repairs inside. He'd work on the machine in his own time later.

"What's going through your head, Ryan?" Jean asked, a cigarette hanging from her mouth as she worked on a broken electric fan.

"Just an idea, that's all." Jack signed back before returning his attention to the broken radio. Soon another customer entered.

"Hey, Dick." A familiar woman's voice said. Jack paused the second he heard the voice.

"Radio broke again?" Dick asked lightheartedly.

"Afraid so. Think you could fix it?" the woman asked as Dick chuckled.

"Yes ma'am. Jack, could you take this?" Dick asked as Jack turned around and sure enough the woman was Julie Stein.

"Julie!" Jack signed as he approached.

"Mr. Ryan-er-Jack! Hello, how are you?" She greeted with a friendly smile.

"You know each other?" Dick asked, confused.

"I teach his five daughters at R. Fulton. They're very good girls." Julie said as Jack took the radio and started examining it. He almost instantly found the problem and darted into the back. He came out a second later with a replacement part.

"That was fast." Julie said as Jack installed the part. The radio almost instantly flickered on for a second, making Jack pause. He glanced at the radio and saw it had a plug on it and it was definitely not plugged in.

"Did ya bump something again, Jack?" Dick asked as Jack nodded with a helpless shrug.

"How did that happen?" Julie asked with a perplexed expression.

"Oh, Jack bumps something every now and then that. It's harmless. He's still the best fix-it guy I've got." Dick said as he clapped Jack on the shoulder.

"No-no…it wasn't plugged in." Julie said as she lifted the plug. A look of panic briefly flashed in Jack's eyes as Dick and now Jean looked at the radio curiously.

"She's right. How did that happen, Jack?" Dick asked as Jack shrugged helplessly. He knew the reason was the leftovers of the Electro Bolt Plasmid.

"Probably some leftover electricity. Probably built up somewhere in the radio and turned it on for a second." Jack signed as Dick shrugged.

"I'm no electrical engineer but that sounds like a possibility." Dick said as Jack handed the radio back to Julie. She silently paid for the repairs and left in silence, leaving Jack a little worried.

"Wonder what's bugging her?" Jack signed with a clueless expression.

"Not sure. My own wife is a little odd at times. Anyway, we best get back to work." Dick said as they returned to fixing the broken machinery.

"By the way, Jack, what exactly are you planning with that old cigarette machine?" Dick asked.

"I think we can use it to sell more than just cigarettes. Like pep-bars or small candies and such." Jack replied. Dick seemed to like the idea.

"Interesting. If you can get it working again, we'll give it a try." Dick replied.

* * *

**That evening at home…**

Jack, Tenenbaum, and the girls were sitting at the dining room table eating dinner in relative silence. Masha and Rebecca kept arguing with each other, prompting either Amelia or Suzanne to get involved. Brigid seemed content to simply sit and watch the argument. The argument seemed to stem from the fact that Masha had lost a drawing that she had been working on and she blamed Rebecca. Tenenbaum was ignoring the argument as she looked over some notes she had made regarding the ADAM sickness but Jack was getting irritated.

"Alright, that's enough!" Jack said, his voice instantly silencing the bickering sisters. Tenenbaum was even ripped from her concentration, sitting at perfect attention. Jack took a breath and calmed himself.

"Okay, what's this all about?" Jack asked.

"Mr. Bubbles, Becky lost my drawing in school today!" Masha replied. Jack turned his attention to Rebecca.

"Rebecca, did you take her drawing?" Jack asked as Rebecca shook her head.

"No, Mr. Bubbles! I didn't! You always say not to steal so I didn't!" Rebecca replied.

"Are you telling the truth?" Jack asked as the former Little Sister nodded frantically.

"Yes Mr. Bubbles! It's the truth!" Rebecca replied.

"Then I believe you. Masha, Rebecca did not steal you drawing." Jack said to Masha as she sat back and pouted.

"See, she didn't take your drawing after all." Suzanne said smugly.

"Suzanne, don't be smug." Jack scolded, causing the girl to fall silent.

"Yeah, Masha, I lost a drawing too." Amelia said as Masha turned to look at her sister.

"Really? What was it?" Masha asked.

"It was a drawing of home." Amelia replied. Her answer caused both Jack and Tenenbaum to pause.

"Home? You mean our house?" Jack asked as Amelia shook her head.

"No, Mr. Bubbles, I mean our other home. Rapture." Amelia replied as Jack and the doctor exchanged worried glances.

"Masha, what exactly was your picture?" Tenenbaum asked.

"I drew a picture of my sisters and Mr. Bubbles." Masha replied as Jack rubbed his temples.

"Was I in a diving suit?" Jack asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, Mr. Bubbles. Why?" Masha asked back as Jack leaned back in thought.

"You know what this means, Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum said as Jack stood up.

"Either they simply misplaced the drawings or someone has taken them because they suspect us." Jack said as he headed for his room. He was going to make sure his weapons were still in working order.

* * *

**End Chapter 3**

I own Dick and Jean.


	4. The Mystery of Ryan

Dr. Franklin Stein, family psychologist, sat in his office copying down some notes while smoking a pipe behind his desk. He was a portly gentleman in his fifties with balding grey hair. He wore a white shirt with black suspenders and black trousers. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knocking at the door.

"Come in!" He beckoned with the pipe clinched in his teeth. The door to his office opened, and Julie Stein stuck her head in with a friendly smile.

"Are you busy?" Julie asked as her father smiled.

"I'm never too busy to meet with my daughter." Franklin replied as he stood up and gave his daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I didn't know if I was disturbing you." Julie replied as she sat down across from him at the desk.

"Naw, I was just taking down some notes. What's on your mind my dear?" Franklin asked as Julie shuffled slightly.

"I'm facing a sort of…unique dilemma. I'm not sure how to deal with it." Julie said as Franklin took the pipe from his mouth with a concerned look on his face.

"Is this a discussion you want with your father or a psychologist?" Franklin asked as Julie shrugged.

"Both I think actually." Julie replied as Franklin put the pipe back in his mouth.

"Alright. What's the problem?" He asked, leaning forward, resting his arms on the desk and interlinking his fingers together.

"Well, you see I have these five adorable girls in my class. They're all sisters by adoption. Their father, a man named Jonathan Ryan, is certainly very good to them, but there are some odd peculiarities about them that…well, frankly they kind of concern me." Julie explained as Franklin arched a curious eyebrow.

"Such as?" Franklin asked.

"Well, for instance, the girls talk about this place that they claim that they've been to that sounds absolutely fictional to me. A place called Rapture." Julie said as Franklin again took the pipe from his mouth.

"Rapture?"

"Yes. Supposedly it's a city almost comparable in size to Manhattan but it's completely underwater. Like the Greek myths about Atlantis." Julie said as Franklin looked intrigued.

"An underwater city? Are you sure that the girls aren't just imagining all this? You did after all create an imaginary friend once, my dear." Franklin said as Julie nodded.

"I know that father, but this seems…different. You remember how you taught me to tell when someone is lying when I was a teenager?" Julie asked as Franklin nodded.

"Yes, it was so you could tell if Leroy Fitzsimons was actually telling the truth about standing you up on a date once in high school." Franklin said.

"Well, I've noticed that whenever the girls talk about Rapture, there's something that rather disturbs me." Julie said as Franklin leaned back curiously.

"How so?"

"I can't find a single sign of deception when they talk about it." Julie replied.

"They're kids, my dear. Their imaginations are probably very vivid." Franklin said with a shrug.

"I don't think so, father. I've seen how children react when they describe places from their fantasies. They usually show the visible signs of deception when they describe these places but…the girls…they show absolutely no sign of deception when they describe Rapture. They also seem to be a little…afraid of it too." Julie explained, concerning Franklin.

"Scared? That's curious." Franklin said.

"That's not all. They also have an odd fascination with nature. They behave as if they've never seen some of the simplest of things before. Like when they first saw a butterfly, they were enamored with it. They saw a caterpillar on the window outside one day and while all the other girls ran in disgust, they gathered around and looked at it like it was something completely new to them. Whenever they see trees, they say that they're just like the ones in a place called Arcadia." Julie explained.

"Arcadia? Is this a new place besides Rapture?" Franklin asked as Julie shook her head.

"When I asked them, they said that Arcadia was a part of Rapture." Julie said as Franklin leaned back in thought.

"Trees…in an underwater city. Hmm." Franklin said as he closed his eyes in thought.

"Why? What is it?" Julie asked.

"The concept is intriguing. It's actually quite brilliant. A city underwater would need a way to recycle the oxygen. What better way to do that than with an underwater greenhouse? That way you get both trees to recycle the air, and a place to produce fresh crops without having to go to the surface. It's ingenious." Franklin explained as Julie's eyes lit up in realization.

"My word…that is ingenious. I hadn't thought of that." Julie said.

"Now you say that these girls imagined this place on their own?" Franklin asked as Julie leaned back in thought.

"I'm still debating whether or not they did. I want to say that their father was the one who invented the tale." Julie replied as Franklin looked curious.

"Ah, the father. What is he like?" Franklin asked.

"He's a kind man. Probably about my age or a little younger perhaps. He's single, rather handsome. He works as a repairman at Dick Mycroft's repair shop. He's usually silent, communicates in sign language by choice. The girls have two peculiar names for him too." Julie explained.

"Nicknames?" Franklin asked.

"Yes, they call him Mister Bubbles or Big Daddy." Julie replied as Franklin pondered.

"Do you think he's a gangster and those are his aliases?" Julie asked after a moment.

"Not beyond the realm of possibility. But that wouldn't explain the girls, now would it?" Franklin asked as Julie sighed and nodded.

"That's a point. I know he adores the girls, judging by how they tackled him when we had our parent-teacher conference two weeks ago." Julie explained.

"Now you said he speaks in sign language by choice?" Franklin asked curiously.

"He uses sign language because, clinically, he doesn't need to. He can talk just fine. But his voice…oh I don't think I'll ever forget it father. It's this deep droning voice, like it belonged to some form of large, lumbering…creature. I really don't think my explanation can truly explain how unique his voice is." Julie explained.

"Is this a natural trait or is this something else?" Franklin asked as Julie shook her head.

"He said it was damaged five months ago but he didn't say how it happened. I think he might have done it to himself." Julie said as Franklin leaned back again in contemplation.

"Interesting. Is there anything else about him that stands out to you?" Franklin asked as Julie nodded.

"The smell…he has a rather noxious odor. It wasn't as noticeable the closer he got but it stood out distinctly when he left the room." Julie explained.

"What did he smell like?" Franklin asked.

"I…I don't know how to describe it. I've never smelt something to compare it to." Julie replied.

"Alright, so what does he say in regards to the girls talk about this place of theirs. This, Rapture?" Franklin asked.

"He dismisses it as a bedtime story he told them. But father, when he said that, I saw the signs that he was lying. He seemed to lie about various subjects throughout our conference too. Like where he found the girls, and why they call him Mr. Bubbles and Big Daddy." Julie explained.

"What did the girls say about that matter? Mr. Bubbles and Big Daddy?" Franklin asked.

"They said it's what he is. He protects them as they look for, and I quote, Angels so they can gather Adam, end quote. I have no idea what they mean by that, father. Angels and Adam? I know those are biblical terms but, they sound like they could stand for something else." Julie said as Franklin pondered.

"Curious. So what exactly did you catch him lying about?" Franklin asked.

"Well, like where he found the girls. Like I said, they're all adopted and none of them are biological sisters. One of them, a girl named Masha, has a slight Russian tint to her voice while another one, Brigid, has a few hints of German in her voice. He says he found the girls in some of the poorest parts of those countries but…I don't believe he actually has gone to those countries." Julie explained.

"Russian and German…you don't suppose he could be a foreign spy do you?" Franklin asked.

"A communist? Him? I don't think so. One, he would have to have learned to remove all Russian from his voice, two, why would he get a job as a simple fix it guy, and why would he take in five little girls from both Russia, Germany, and America?" Julie asked as Franklin shrugged.

"He could be a Soviet. The girls could be his hostages, his nicknames could be code names, Rapture could be code for Russia, he could have learned to talk without an accent, and his voice was damaged during a mission perhaps." Franklin said but Julie seemed unconvinced.

"It doesn't add up. If he were holding the girls hostage, then why do they adore him so much? He was definitely not feigning his adoration of them, that's for certain." Julie said as Franklin shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you on that one dear. Unless there's something else, however." Franklin said as Julie glanced away thoughtfully.

"Now that you mention it…there have been some new developments. Apparently, the girls got a nanny. A woman they call Mama Tenenbaum. I asked them about her and they said she's the one who takes care of them. I'm willing to guess that she's somehow connected to whatever is going on with the Ryan family." Julie explained.

"A new family member, hmm? Interesting. What else is there?" Franklin asked.

"Well, there is a rather unique incident that occurred at the fix it shop the other day." Julie said as Franklin motioned to carry on.

"What happened was, my radio broke at home. You know the one. Well I take it to Dick's and Jack is there. Jack fixes it in seconds, replacing the broken part easily but as he put the part back in with his hands, the radio suddenly flickers on for a moment then shuts off." Julie explained.

"He probably just bumped something." Franklin replied.

"But that's impossible…it wasn't even plugged in, father." Julie said, causing Franklin's eyes to widen.

"That is curious. What do you suppose could have been the cause of that?" Franklin asked.

"I don't know. I honestly can't come up with a rational explanation." Julie replied.

"Is there anything else about this odd family?" Franklin asked as Julie nodded and reached in her purse.

"There is. These are two of the girl's drawings from class." She said as she handed Franklin, two folded pieces of paper, one a picture of five girls holding hands with a large grey man with a single yellow eye and the other of a city apparently submerged underwater.

"What are they?"Franklin asked curiously.

"I suspect the city is supposed to be Rapture while the other, I asked about. The girls in the picture are the five girls themselves and the man, they claim, is their father." Julie said as Franklin looked at the family picture.

"What's the grey supposed to be on him?" Franklin asked.

"I have no idea." Julie replied. Franklin started looking at both pictures. He suspected there was a connection between Rapture and the grey body.

"A pity these aren't more detailed. We could probably get more from these pictures then." Franklin said as Julie nodded.

"I know." Julie replied with a sigh.

"The man's head has to represent something, I know it does." Franklin said as Julie shrugged.

"A hat or a mask perhaps?" Julie asked as Franklin paused.

"No…but perhaps…wait a minute." Franklin said as he held the family picture over the Rapture picture.

"A…a diving suit perhaps?" Franklin asked.

"A diving suit?" Julie asked back.

"With this stuff about Rapture being underwater…do you suppose that they envision him as wearing a diving suit?" Franklin asked as Julie looked at the photo.

"It's possible. But he never mentioned being a diver before. But, a simple diving suit couldn't possibly go deep enough to reach an underwater city. The pictures seem to indicate that it has skyscrapers so it has to be deep enough that ships can pass right over it and not even come close." Julie said as Franklin nodded.

"You have a point. How could he have gotten down there?" Franklin asked as Julie looked at him curiously.

"You think that Rapture could be real?" she asked as Franklin sighed. He was contemplating his answer.

"I'm not certain. The evidence from a psychological stand point, seems to indicate that the girls truly believe it exists and their behavior would indicate that they are, for lack of a better term, literally experiencing life on the surface, for the first time in their lives. You even said that their father is hesitant to go into detail on how his voice was altered. He also showed signs that he was lying about where he found the girls, and that he was telling the girls a story about a fictional place. Were it just him, I would say that he could use a psychological evaluation. But the girls behavior and his own attempts at deception, seem to indicate that there is more of a possibility of truth to this than not. It might be possible that the girls are telling the truth and that there is an underwater city somewhere under the seas of this fair earth of ours." Franklin explained as Julie looked perplexed.

"Then…what do we do father?" Julie asked.

"I'm not sure. I would say, look into it more, but I don't want you getting hurt. There is the potential for danger with this sort of thing. If you do decide to look into it, I want you to be careful and keep me apprised of any new developments." Franklin said as Julie nodded.

"I will. I'll look into the Ryan family very carefully." Julie said as she took the pictures back, folded them up again and put them back in her purse.

"Good girl. I'll talk to your uncle Stephen in the sheriff's office; see what he can dig up on your friend, Mr. Jonathan Ryan." Franklin said as Julie stood up.

"Jack."

"I beg your pardon?"

"He prefers to be called, Jack." Julie replied as she turned to leave, leaving her father alone with his thoughts.

"Jonathan "Jack" Ryan…Hmm."

* * *

**End Chapter 4.**

I own Dr. Franklin Stein. Yes it is a sort of allusion to Frankenstein.


	5. Jack Ryan, Bachelor

It had been about a week since they learned the drawings were missing and Dr. Tenenbaum stood staring curiously at the large rectangular packing crate that was being carried into the house by a couple of young delivery men. Jack was helping them carry the crate into the house and the girls were innocently poking the heads out from the doorway to their rooms.

"What is that, Herr Ryan?" Tenenbaum asked impatiently.

"You'll see." Jack signed as soon as they set down the box. Jack then tipped the men before they departed, closing the door behind them.

"What is it Mr. Bubbles?" Masha asked.

"Is it for us?" Amelia asked.

"No-no girls. Daddy just brought something from…home." Jack said, emphasizing home while giving Tenenbaum a look that she took to mean that he meant Rapture.

"How did you get something from Rapture here?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack pulled his trusty wrench from his belt and started to use it like a crowbar on the lid of the box. He managed to pop the lid off, revealing it packed with straw and something shiny. Jack reached inside and pulled out a large, round, brass ball with four black circles on it. It was a complete Hard Hat diving suit.

"Herr Ryan, where did you get that thing?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack propped the suit up so that it was standing next to the door. It apparently had a mannequin inside of it that allowed it to be posed and stand up on its own.

"I've done some research and found out that a diving museum down in Florida was going out of business. They had to sell their antiques so I phoned in a bid for it at the auction. Only cost five thousand dollars." Jack explained as Tenenbaum looked stunned. The girls were busy marveling at the suit, not paying any attention to the conversation.

"Five thousand dollars? Where did you-…oh wait…Fontaine's fortune?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack nodded.

"This way if anyone gets suspicious by the girls drawing me in a diving suit, we have something believable for an excuse." Jack whispered in her ear.

"Ah, now I see what you mean. You were wise to do that." Tenenbaum said as Jack smiled and nodded.

"If it serves to throw someone off the trail, then so be it." Jack replied as he headed to his room.

"With that same logic we should buy a fish tank, put little buildings in it, and call it Rapture." Tenenbaum mumbled sarcastically.

"Look Mama Tenenbaum! It's just like Mr. Bubbles!" Brigid exclaimed.

"Don't touch it little ones." Tenenbaum said, hurrying to shoo the girls away from the diving suit. Jack came out of his room with his car keys in hand.

"I'm going to the store to pick up some things. Anything we need in particular that you can think of?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum thought for a moment.

"Nein. Nothing that I can think of." Tenenbaum replied as Jack headed for the door, giving the girls a kiss on the head each as he walked out the door. Tenenbaum could honestly say that Jack was devoted to his girls.

**…**

Jack was strolling through the grocery store, having picked up some fresh canned goods and a few boxes of cereal. He was about to turn into another aisle when he crashed into another person's cart.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry about that! I-…Jack?" Julie Stein asked as Jack chuckled.

"Well this is a surprise." Jack signed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there." Julie replied apologetically.

"It's not a problem. No harm done." Jack signed back as Julie smiled.

"Well that's good. So how are the girls doing?" Julie asked as Jack beamed proudly.

"Very well, thank you. What about you?" Jack signed politely.

"Oh I'm fine. Just picking up a few things, that's all." Julie replied.

"That's good." Jack replied as he pulled the cart back a little, allowing her room to pass.

"Um…Jack…" Julie said after a moment of awkward silence, "…would…would you like to have dinner sometime?"

Jack paused for a moment, trying to think. She was asking him out on a date. He then came to a conclusion.

"_I suppose I'm entitled to make myself happy once in a while. Lord knows I try to make my girls happy all the time…but when they're happy, I'm happy. I guess there's no harm in going out once in a while."_ Jack thought.

"Where should I pick you up?" Jack signed as Julie smiled and chuckled as she wrote down her address on a notepad from her purse.

"Here, you can pick me up tomorrow at seven." Julie said as she handed him the page from the notepad.

"Thank you. I'll see you at seven then." Jack signed as Julie smiled and nodded.

"See you at seven." She said before walking off.

"_Well Jack its official. Your bachelor days might be over soon."_ Jack said mentally with a shrug.

* * *

**6:32, the following evening…**

Tenenbaum was still in shock that Jack had actually been asked out on a date by someone and by the girl's school teacher no less. Her opinion on the issue was of pride and disbelief. She had technically been the closest thing to a mother that Jack had even known and for that, she was proud but she was still surprised that Jack accepted Julie's offer. Tenenbaum stood next to the record player, holding the cover for the "Rise, Rapture, Rise" record in her hands as said record sat on the inactive phonograph. The girls were crowded around the door to Jack's room, waiting for him to come out. Finally they scattered from the door like bees and quickly sat down on the couch. Tenenbaum took it as her cue. She turned on the phonograph allowing the fanfare of the Rapture anthem to play as Jack emerged from his room, dressed in his best clothes.

He was in a brown tweed jacket with matching trousers along with a tan dress shirt and red tie. He was wearing his best pair of black and white wing tipped shoes. His hair was slicked back and his Andrew Ryan moustache was neatly tended to. To Tenenbaum, he was almost the spitting image of a young Andrew Ryan.

"Well? How do I look?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum smiled warmly and the girls all crowded around him.

"You look amazing, Mr. Bubbles!" the Amelia said as Jack kissed her on the head.

"Don't forget the flower, Mr. Bubbles." Rebecca said, holding up a small red rose. Jack smiled and took the flower, sticking it in his lapel.

"Thank you, Rebecca." Jack said, kissing her on the head.

"Here are the flowers for Miss Stein, Mr. Bubbles." Suzanne said as she and Masha held up a bouquet of flowers, freshly picked from the garden out front and wrapped in a several sheets of white tissue paper.

"Thank you girls." Jack replied, kissing them both on the head.

"Don't forget your car keys." Brigid said, holding up his keys. Jack pocketed the keys and kissed her on the forehead simultaneously.

"Thank you Brigid." He said before turning to Dr. Tenenbaum who was almost crying.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked worriedly.

"I'm just…very proud of you Herr Ryan. Your father would be proud of you." Dr. Tenenbaum said, straightening his tie.

"I doubt it." Jack replied as he headed for the door.

"Your father wasn't an evil man, Herr Ryan. He was merely misguided." Tenenbaum said as Jack paused.

"Behave for Dr. Tenenbaum while I'm gone, okay girls?" Jack asked, turning to give the girls one last look. The girls all nodded in unison.

"We will." they replied in unison.

"Well, off I go." Jack said, opening the door, walking out, and closing the door behind him.

* * *

**Later…**

Jack and Julie had decided to dine at a seafood/Italian restaurant by the marina called "The Olive Green." It was probably the finest restaurant in town. Julie was dressed in an eloquent blue dress with white gloves. She wore a pearl necklace with matching earrings although both the necklace and earrings were made of fake pearls. The restaurant was very beautiful and reminded him of the Kashmir Restaurant in Rapture. Its décor was similar even, except without the battle damage from the 1959 New Years Eve riots. A man in the corner of the room played soft tunes on the piano as the people around danced slowly on the dance floor when not at their table. A waiter showed them to a table by the window. Jack politely seated Julie before the waiter seated him.

"This place is certainly nice. I've never been here before. What about you?" Julie asked as Jack shook his head.

"Never. I hear it's the best place in town." Jack replied.

"Oh. You're going to use your voice tonight?" Julie asked in pleasant surprise.

"I thought it would be rude not to. I usually only speak when I'm either at home or save it for special occasions." Jack said with a smile as Julie laughed slightly.

"You are a mysterious man, Jack Ryan." Julie said as a waiter came over to take their order. Once he had gone, they returned to their conversation.

"So, tell me a little bit more about you, Jack. We never got much of a chance to talk at the conference and I'm curious to know more about the man who adopts five girls from around the globe and brings them here." Julie said as Jack shrugged.

"Well…I was born in Manhattan. My father disappeared when I was seven and my mother, Mary-Catharine Jolene, died when I was only ten, leaving me in the care of Dr. Tenenbaum's family." Jack explained.

"Dr. Tenenbaum's family?" Julie asked curiously.

"My father smuggled the Tenenbaum family out of Germany during the war, supposedly. From what she told me, she was a little girl then and they had been arrested for harboring Jews and sent to the prison camps. Her parents died the same year my mom did so Tenenbaum and I looked to each other to survive. She was an adult, attending medical school, and I was sent to boarding school. Once I finished school and got my associates in engineering in 1959, Tenenbaum and I started traveling the world together. I was twenty at the time we left." Jack explained as Julie listened carefully.

"Really? Where did you go first?" Julie asked.

"Leningrad, Russia. I turned twenty one there. We were there as tourists. That's where we found little Masha. Poor girl's parents were killed in an attempt to protest during the war." Jack explained.

"What finally led you to adopting Masha and the girls?" Julie asked curiously? Jack sighed and glanced out the window, looking north over the ocean, towards Rapture's secret resting place.

"I…I remembered what it was like, to be left alone in the world with my parents gone or missing, and my heart ached for Masha when I first met her. Adopting her wasn't hard. We had some trouble getting her out but we managed to cut the red tape finally. Then we flew to Hamburg, Germany from there. Tenenbaum had some hesitation on returning to her home country but we were nowhere near the prison camp she was in so it wasn't as hard. There we met Brigid. Her father was arrested for murder and her mother died after giving birth to her. We adopted her there and decided to return home to America." Jack explained.

"So what about the other girls?" Julie asked.

"Tenenbaum and I arrived in Manhattan with Masha and Brigid. We were driving through town when we passed an orphanage. There we saw Suzanne, Amelia, and Rebecca playing on the sidewalk. We nearly hit them actually but we stopped in time. I decided, against Tenenbaum's initial protests, to adopt all three of them. Then five months ago, we moved here to Barton, to start a new life. Tenenbaum had some personal matters to attend to in Manhattan so I took care of the girls." Jack explained as Julie smiled.

"You have a heart of gold, Jack. Though how do you support those girls with only the salary of a repairman?" Julie asked. Jack paused at this.

"Perhaps…if I explained who my father was, that would answer your question." Jack said as Julie arched an eyebrow.

"Your father?" she asked.

"My father was a Russian immigrant. He moved here to America in 1919 under the name, Andrew Ryan." Jack explained as Julie's eyes lit up in surprise. She apparently recognized the name.

"Wait, I've heard that name before. Andrew Ryan. I thought he vanished after World War II?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"He vanished when I was only seven. He's the one who told me the tales of Rapture that I've told the girls." Jack replied.

"So, where did he go?" Julie asked as Jack sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know. To this day, I don't know. I sometimes wonder if he went to that place he told me about, like he was telling me of a plan to go there. I'll probably never know." Jack replied.

"Then, how does that explain your financial situation? Did he leave you some money to survive on?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"He left me his entire monetary fortune. I didn't inherit it until I was a legal age. I use it to care for the girls, to provide them a life that they'd never have in those orphanages. I work as a repairman to try and stem the tide. To keep my father's fortune from disappearing too quickly. A sort of, stop gap measure, if you will. We use the money from my job to pay for everything but I keep my father's fortune for emergencies…or special occasions." Jack said, raising a glass of red wine.

"I'm honored." Julie said, raising her glass, "But what exactly shall we toast to?"

"To chance." Jack replied, earning a confused look from Julie.

"Chance?" she asked, lowering her glass slightly.

"The chance that I hope to give my girls...A chance to learn, to find love, and to live. Hopefully I'll get a chance at the second one someday." Jack explained as Julie smiled warmly.

"To chance." She said, raising her glass again.

"To chance." Jack replied, tapping their glasses together.

* * *

**Later that night…**

Franklin Stein was sitting in the den of his house by the fireplace, reading the newspaper and listening to a record of the 20th Century Blues by Noel Coward on the radio, when he heard the front door open and shut.

"Julie? Is that you?" Franklin asked. He soon saw his only daughter walk into the den in her fancy attire.

"It's me, father." Julie said with a smile as she sat down across from him on the couch.

"You look like you've been out on a night of romance." Franklin said as Julie chuckled with delight.

"Oh I've had a wonderful time, father. A wonderful dinner and some dancing at the Olive Green." Julie replied with a sigh of bliss as Franklin smiled with an amused chuckle at his daughter's behavior.

"Really? Must be a well off chap. Who is the lucky man?" Franklin asked as Julie sighed again.

"Believe it or not, it was with Jack Ryan." Julie replied, making Franklin pause.

"Jack Ryan? The same man with the five daughters who talk about this Rapture business?" Franklin asked as Julie nodded. They didn't notice as the record finished playing.

"Yes and he told me more about his life." Julie replied, still rather chipper.

"Are you drunk, my dear?" Franklin asked as Julie shook her head.

"No, I only had one glass of wine tonight. I drank water the rest of the time. But father, I will say one thing about Jack. I don't think he has any malicious intent towards anyone unless they have reason to harm him or his girls." Julie explained as Franklin leaned back with a curious look on his face.

"I see. Did he explain anymore about the girls or perhaps where he's from? Did he say anything more about that Rapture place?" Franklin asked.

"He told me a lot about his life. I caught several lies but some things I can tell he was truthful about. For example, his mother's name is Mary-Catharine Jolene and she died when he was ten. His father disappeared when he was seven but left him a sizeable fortune." Julie explained as Franklin arched a curious eyebrow.

"Fortune? He's rich?" Franklin asked surprised.

"His father was Andrew Ryan, the billionaire who disappeared sometime after World War II." Julie explained as Franklin leaned forward in surprise.

"And you're certain he wasn't lying to you?" Franklin asked as Julie smiled and shook her head.

"I'm positive he wasn't lying about his parents. The origins of his family fortune, maybe, but not his parents. He told the truth about who they were. The girls however, are still a mystery. He claims to have adopted Masha from Leningrad in Russia, Brigid in Hamburg in Germany, and Suzanne, Amelia, and Rebecca, in New York but he lied about that. He says he saved them from a bad life. That was truthful." Julie explained. Franklin leaned back in thought.

"Andrew Ryan is his father?" Franklin asked softly.

"Is something wrong?" Julie asked as Franklin shook his head as if clearing the cobwebs from his mind.

"No…but how can a man have Andrew Ryan for a father…when the man himself doesn't exist?" Franklin asked, earning a confused look from Julie.

"What? Andrew Ryan doesn't exist?" Julie asked as Franklin shook his head again, but he wasn't clearing the cobwebs this time.

"No, I'm saying Jack Ryan doesn't exist." Franklin replied.

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"I spoke to your mother's sister in the Sheriff's office. He's checked with every agency in America and there's no record of anyone by the name of Jonathan Ryan. He simply doesn't exist, my dear. And there's no record of those girls anywhere either." Franklin explained as Julie looked crushed.

"He doesn't exist?" she asked in silent shock.

"I'm sorry my dear, but you had a right to know." Franklin said as Julie looked almost tearful.

"What do we do now, father?" Julie asked after a moment.

"For now, I suggest we act like nothing has happened. If he asks you out, accept his invitation and tell me whatever you learn from him, especially anything regarding Andrew Ryan, his nanny Brigid Tenenbaum, and more importantly, anything regarding Rapture." Franklin said as he stood up from his chair.

"I can understand his father and Rapture, but his nanny?" Julie asked confused as Franklin started walking to his room.

"Trust me, my dear, if my hunch is right, she's a key player in this whole mystery!" Franklin said as he disappeared into the house leaving a confused Julie behind.

* * *

_(Static-crackle-static) Attention Pawns: The Game's afoot! White Rook might be on the verge of a breakthrough. White Rook believes he has found an original player, a descendant of White King. All pawns worldwide standby for further updates. (Static)_

* * *

**End Chapter 5.**


	6. Vampires, Mummys, & Big Daddy

It had been a few weeks since their first date and Jack and Julie had proceeded to go out at least two or three times each week. It was a cool October Sunday afternoon as Tenenbaum helped put the girls in their Halloween costumes for the following Monday. They had all decided to go as little witches in black robes and with conical black hats. Jack said that his costume was a surprise so he was keeping absolutely silent about it.

"Ach! Stand still mien little one!" Tenenbaum ordered with safety pins clinched between her teeth as she worked to pin one of the robes together on Brigid. Jack was nearby working on sewing on the cone of one of the hats to the brim.

"But Mama Tenenbaum, my feet itch." Brigid said, squirming in place. Only Samantha was in her costume already. Masha, Amelia, and Rebecca were busy coloring in the corner of the room while Samantha sat on the couch watching the brand new television set that Jack had finally broken down and bought.

"I don't want to stick you, mien little one. Stand still!" Tenenbaum ordered just as they heard the doorbell ring. Tenenbaum turned towards Jack with a curious look.

"Expecting company?" She asked as Jack shook his head with a furrowed brow.

"No." he replied, heading to the door. As soon as he opened it, there stood Julie.

"Hi Jack. Hope I'm not intruding." Julie said with a smile. Jack froze with a silent horror written on his face as if he had forgotten something.

"Oh, Julie! Were we supposed to go out tonight?" Jack asked worriedly as Julie laughed.

"No-no. You asked me over to help the girls with their costumes." Julie replied as Jack smacked his forehead.

"That's right! I did. Sorry, it's been one of those days." Jack replied as he showed her in.

"Oh don't worry I under-YIE-EEE!" Julie yelped when she felt a hand that didn't belong to Jack get put on her shoulder. She whirled around to see that Jack had moved the hand on the Diving suit by the door onto her shoulder. Jack was now laughing cheekily. The girls were laughing too and Tenenbaum was grinning with the pins in her mouth.

"_Silly girl." _Tenenbaum muttered in German.

"Alright you!" Julie scolded half-heartedly with a smile as she gave Jack a slap on the arm.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Jack replied.

"Hi Miss Stein!" the girls greeted in almost perfect unison.

"Hello girls." Julie said with a smile. Tenenbaum then cleared her throat expectantly as she took the pins from her mouth.

"Oh, you've never been formally introduced. Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, Miss Julie Stein." Jack said as the two women shook hands.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Dr. Tenenbaum. Jack and the girls have told me all about you." Julie said as Tenenbaum smiled back.

"And I have heard much of you. Herr Ryan also seems much happier when he mentions you." Tenenbaum said as Julie took a seat on the couch as Jack turned off the television since Samantha had joined her sisters in coloring. He then proceeded to flip through his collection of records before choosing Le Mer (Beyond the Sea), and returning to his chair to finish the hats as the music started playing.

"So what can I do to help?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum turned towards the girls.

"Amelia, let Fraulein Stein put you in costume, mien little one." Tenenbaum said as Amelia quickly bounced over to Julie.

"Please, Dr. Tenenbaum, call me Julie." She replied as she started to make the necessary alterations to Amelia's costume.

"Very well." Tenenbaum replied casually.

"So Jack, I remember you telling me that you were going to unveil your costume for tomorrow, today. So where is it?" Julie asked as Jack smiled almost sinisterly. Tenenbaum was giving him a curious look along with Julie.

"I think now is an appropriate unveiling. Doctor I'll need some help putting it on." Jack said as he headed to his room, with a confused Tenenbaum close behind. A few seconds later Tenenbaum burst out laughing hysterically. Julie and the girls were now definitely curious.

"I wonder what Daddy's going to wear." Brigid said as she plopped down where she was standing, kicked off her shoes and started scratching her feet.

"Maybe it's a clown. Maybe that's why Mama Tenenbaum started laughing." Masha said as Julie shrugged with a smile as she continued making alterations to Amelia's costume. Between alterations she would glance up at the photos on the wall, noticing the pictures of Andrew Ryan and Jasmine Jolene. She then took notice of the life preserver mounted on the wall. She made a mental note of the ship's name, the S.S. Nellie Bly.

"There, all done with you Amelia." Julie said as she noticed the record had come to an end. She got up to either change records or start it again. She decided to peruse the selections, flipping through record after record, all of them in their covers. She then spotted one that made her freeze in place, her eyes widened in disbelief. The album marked as being from, Rapture Records. She was snapped back to reality when she heard Tenenbaum laughing again. She quickly straightened up and reset the record on the phonograph just as Tenenbaum stumbled in, clearly amused.

"What's so funny?" Julie asked. Tenenbaum merely motioned to wait a moment. Then they heard it, Jack letting out a long monster like moan and the sound of heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly a large metal behemoth lumbered into the doorway to the hall. It was Jack dressed as a Rosie type Big Daddy, complete with a glowing yellow light from inside the helmet but lacking the rivet gun. He had his trusty wrench though. The girls gasped in awe and quickly gathered around their Big Daddy, their conditioning kicking in again.

"**Mr. Bubbles!"** they exclaimed in unison. Jack attempted to step into the room but his helmet clanged against the top of the doorframe, causing him to stagger backwards for a second and eliciting laughter from those present. He wound up having to drop to his knees and scoot through before standing up with Tenenbaum's help.

"Where did you get that thing?" Julie asked in amazement.

"It was a gift from some sailor friends of mine, but more notably, Tenenbaum's." Jack replied, his voice resonating through the metal diving helmet. Tenenbaum simply crossed her arms with a scowl, muttering curses in German at the implication.

"It seems newer than the one by your door." Julie commented as Jack shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. Tenenbaum brought it when she arrived last month. Talk to her." He said causing the German scientist's language to grow fouler, despite it being in her native tongue. Truthfully it was the same suit he had used in Rapture. He had simply left it in the bathysphere and retrieved it before leaving the ship.

"Doctor, I do know something of German, so please watch your language." Jack warned, silencing the doctor.

"So you're wearing this tomorrow?" Julie asked as Jack laughed, the light in his helmet turning green.

"Of course! I figured it would freak people out to see…and even hear a monstrosity like this walking down the street with five little witches in hand." Jack replied, a smile clear in his voice.

"I'm certain it will. But how did you make that light in your head change?" Julie asked. Jack paused and turned slightly towards Tenenbaum.

"There's a light on in here?" He asked curiously. Tenenbaum shrugged, genuinely clueless as to why there was a light.

* * *

**The next evening…**

Five little witches, a Big Daddy, and Julie Stein were walking through the neighborhood as they trick-or-treated from house to house. Jack and Julie would stand at the end of the sidewalk as the girls walked up and rang the doorbell. Tenenbaum had stayed at home to deal with the trick-or-treaters there.

"Isn't that thing heavy?" Julie asked as Jack shrugged.

"Nah. You get used to it. I'll probably be sore for a while afterwards but I'll be fine." Jack replied.

"It's an interesting costume, that's for sure. But why didn't you use the diving suit by your door? Wouldn't it be lighter?" Julie asked curiously.

"Maybe, but it's also an antique. I paid five thousand dollars of my father's fortune for it. I want to keep it in good condition and this one was given to me free." Jack replied.

"But why put it by the door?" Julie asked as Jack shrugged.

"Some people like putting suits of armor like you would see on a medieval knight by their doors for decoration. I just like diving suits. I like the sea. You could say that it's a part of me. The girls seem to like it too." Jack explained.

"They do, now that you mention it. I suppose that's why they draw you in a diving suit on occasion." Julie said. Jack paused and glanced at her from inside the helmet. She couldn't see his face but the green light inexplicably turned back to yellow.

"It's funny that you should mention that. It just so happens that the girls are missing some drawings. One of them of the girls and me but with me in a diving suit, and the other is a drawing of an underwater city. More of that Rapture business, I suppose. I don't suppose you would happen to know what happened to those drawings would you." Jack asked as Julie shrugged.

"It's possible that they lost them or one of the other kids might have taken them. Two it could be the janitorial staff. They might throw out any drawings left on the kids desks when they clean up in the evenings." Julie replied.

"That's possible." Jack replied. Despite her explanation, he was now suspicious. Granted, the disappearance of two child's drawings wasn't anything to really get suspicious about but when they were drawings that could possibly point to Jack and the girl's origins, then it might cause trouble.

"So, I hear that you're working on something special at work. What is it?" Julie asked curiously.

"Hmm? Oh, that. It's a surprise that I'm unveiling tomorrow. You're welcome to come to the unveiling. I've been working on it during my lunch break for the past few weeks. I'm hoping it'll help the shop bring in more profits what with rumors of a new repair shop going in downtown." Jack replied as the girls rejoined them, their bags now full of candy.

"I'm eager to see what this is. What time?" Julie asked curiously as they started walking to the next house.

"4:30 tomorrow evening. Before the shop closes." Jack said as Julie nodded.

"Alright, I'll be there. Oh, do you mind if I bring my father along? He's kinda eager to meet you." Julie asked as Jack thought.

"Sure. I'd like to meet him." Jack said as Julie smiled and nodded.

"Alright then. I'll bring him." Julie said as they reached the next house.

* * *

**That night…**

The girls were snug in their beds, visions of the candy they had collected dancing 'round in their heads. Jack was still awake in his room, sitting at his desk, writing something in an empty book. His Rosie costume was sitting off to the side in a neat pile. His desk light was the only light on and the door was cracked open slightly. He then noticed the door open a little more, revealing Dr. Tenenbaum in a white silk nightgown with small pink flowers on it around the chest and with her graying brown hair let down from its usual bun.

"I thought you had simply forgotten to turn out the light. Its past midnight Herr Ryan. Why are you still up?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack sighed and leaned back, using his pen to mark the page in the book before closing it.

"I think…Julie might be spying on us." Jack replied, concerning Tenenbaum.

"A spy? By who? The C.I.A.?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack shrugged.

"I don't know yet. She let it slip that she knew about the girls drawing me in a diving suit. She claims that the girls could have lost the drawings or that the janitorial staff threw them out but I've seen the way they draw me and it would be very difficult to discern that it's a diving suit, yet Julie seems to have figured it out." Jack explained.

"It's possible your costume solved that riddle." Tenenbaum suggested as Jack nodded.

"True. But I wonder, what does she know? Does she suspect that what the girls say about Rapture is true?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum pondered.

"Let me check something." Tenenbaum said as she turned and walked into the den. Jack stood up and followed after her. He found her flipping through the record albums. She reached the bottom of the stack and then started frantically searching through them.

"It's gone." She whispered breathlessly.

"What is?" Jack asked.

"Rise, Rapture, Rise. It's not here." Tenenbaum said as Jack checked the record player and found nothing.

"Where could it have gone?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum looked at him worriedly.

"Did…Fraulein Stein come in the house after the girls got their candy?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack nodded.

"Yes, she said that she'd-…she'd let herself out while you and I put the girls to bed. She was left alone in here while we tended to the girls. But…how would she know about the record?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum pondered.

"She might have looked through them at some point, found the Rapture Records sleeve, and realized what it meant. Then she could have taken it while we were dealing with the girls." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed heavily.

"This is bad. What could she gain from this? Rapture's location is still known only to the two of us and we'll never divulge that." Tenenbaum said as Jack paused.

"Well…um…" He muttered, earning a glare from the doctor.

"Jack…did you tell her the location of Rapture?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack ran his hand over his face.

"I might have mentioned during the Parent-teacher conference that Rapture is located off the coast of Iceland. But that's all I told her." Jack said as Tenenbaum started rambling in German.

"It wouldn't make a difference Doctor. She doesn't have the precise coordinates. It would take months of sailing around Iceland, searching underwater before she'd find Rapture and trying to find the lighthouse would be like finding a needle in a haystack." Jack said as Tenenbaum turned towards him.

"It doesn't matter. What if she finds it? The danger that exists to her and anyone who travels out there would still be present." Tenenbaum replied.

"Then I'll go back to Rapture and trigger the self-destruct." Jack said, causing Tenenbaum to pause in surprise.

"The self-destruct? You would need the genetic key to do that." Tenenbaum said. Jack simply stared at her blankly. Tenenbaum's eyes widened at the implication.

"You have the genetic key?" She asked as Jack nodded.

"Locked in the safe with the guns and ammo. The girls handed it to me after Fontaine was killed. I took it with me after making sure the bathyspheres remained locked down so that the Splicers wouldn't be able to follow us." Jack explained.

"But when would you do this? How would I explain your disappearance? Besides, you might get killed going back there." Tenenbaum said as Jack sighed.

"With any luck, I won't have to go back. Hopefully Julie won't make the connection or will have forgotten about our conversation. Either way, we have to be careful with what we say around her from now on." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"I would have thought the stories you told her about how our little family supposedly came together would satisfy her. She must have found out you were lying to her somehow." Tenenbaum said.

"She might have." Jack said as he took a seat in his chair, deep in thought.

"What will you do if she is delving too deep into our pasts?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack pondered.

"Honestly…I don't know." Jack said.

"Yes you do. There is that option." Tenenbaum said as Jack glared at her.

"And be suspected of murder and condemning us to a life on the run? I don't think so." Jack replied.

"You do have one weapon with you at all times Herr Ryan. It needs only be revitalized with an injection of EVE." Tenenbaum said as Jack glanced at his left wrist tattoo of a chain, the spot where he had injected himself with EVE so many times in Rapture.

"Plasmids. If revitalized, I'd have Electro Bolt, Incinerate, Telekinesis, Winter Blast, Cyclone Trap, and Insect Swarm, all at their top levels." Jack said.

"Then you can do what needs to be done. Electro Bolt can stun her and then you can Incinerate her to finish her off." Tenenbaum said as Jack sighed heavily.

"I don't know if I can do it. I'd be murdering an innocent woman. It's not like killing the Splicers or Big Daddies in Rapture, they had all lost any semblance of humanity and killing them was more merciful. She's still human and defenseless. Besides I-…" Jack said stopping mid sentence, earning a look from Tenenbaum.

"You love her, don't you." Tenenbaum said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"I've felt so…so lonely since coming to the surface. I feel like I'm the only one besides the girls and you who understands me. Julie…she gives me that feeling of normalcy that I've longed for since arriving on the surface, the feeling that I'm actually fitting in amongst everyone." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed.

"So what do we do then?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack took a deep breath.

"I've got only one choice. It'll be difficult, but it's the only option. I have to end it between us. I just need an excuse. Her stealing the record and pictures from us should be a good enough of an excuse, I just need to prove that she did it." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded and stood up.

"Then find them, and end it. I'm sorry it has to come to this but…to protect the little ones, we're going to have to make some tough choices. I truly had hoped it would work between the two of you. I'm sorry Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum said as she gave Jack a hug.

"Thank you Doctor." Jack whispered before he turned and started walking back to his room.

* * *

_(Fizzle-Crackle-Static-Crackle) "White Rook! Calling White Rook! This is White Bishop! Red Pawn is on the move! Repeat, Red Pawn is on the move near your location! Take extreme caution! Repeat Red Pawn is on the move near your location! We suspect interception of last communication! All Eastern seaboard Pawns be warned! This is not a drill, repeat this is not a drill!"  
_

* * *

**End Chapter 6.**

I do not own the Red Pawn. He's from the Bioshock viral advertising campaign "There's something in the sea."


	7. The Circus of Values

The following evening at 4:21, Tenenbaum and the girls walked into the Barton Repair Shop, where they saw Jack fiddling with something against the nearby wall. Whatever it was was covered with a large drop cloth. Jean and Dick were still at work.

"Ah, Dr. Tenenbaum, glad to see you again. And it's good to see all five of you too." Dick greeted as Tenenbaum nodded and smiled.

"Herr Mycroft, Fraulein Rothschild." Tenenbaum greeted with a smile and nod. The girls happily gave smiles and waves to the two.

"Jack, your family's here." Jean said. Jack poked his head out for a second.

"I'll be right there." He signed just as the door opened again. It was Julie and her father.

"Well-well, Dr. Stein, it's been a while since I've seen you in here." Dick said as Franklin smiled and nodded.

"Well everything you fix tends to stay that way Dick. You'll put yourself out of business if you keep that up." Franklin laughed.

"Father, allow me to introduce, Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, Jack's friend and nanny for the girls here." Julie introduced as Franklin extended his hand to the German scientist.

"Fraulein Doctor Tenenbaum." Franklin greeted, surprising Tenenbaum.

"_Ah, you speak German?"_ She asked in German.

"_I was an army psychologist during the war. I treated soldiers from both sides. I had to learn German out of necessity. It is a nice language though." _Franklin explained, also in German.

"_Your German is very good." _Tenenbaum replied.

"_Thank you." _Franklin said before noticing the confused looks from the others present.

"What?" Franklin asked innocently.

"Anyway, father, these are Jack's girls. Brigid, Masha, Amelia, Suzanne, and Rebecca." Julie introduced as each of the girls curtsied politely.

"Is he your daddy, Miss Stein?" Brigid asked as Julie nodded with a smile.

"Yes, Brigid, he is." She replied as they heard a loud metal clang come from the covered machine as Jack came out from underneath the drop cloth.

"Alright, that's that." Jack signed after wiping off his hands and approaching the group of people.

"Jonathan Ryan, this is my father, Dr. Franklin Stein." Julie introduced as Jack and Franklin shook hands.

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Ryan. I've heard much about you." Franklin signed.

"Call me Jack, and I've heard much about you too, sir. Oh and you don't need to sign on my behalf. I can hear you perfectly." Jack signed as Franklin nodded understandingly.

"Very well then." Franklin replied.

"So what is it that you've invented Jack?" Jean asked as Jack smiled.

"I'm glad you asked. Doctor, would you read this aloud?" Jack signed and handed Tenenbaum a written message on a notepad. Jack took his place next to the covered machine. Tenenbaum then started reading aloud…

"Ladies and gentleman, it is with great pride that I introduce to you all, the result of several collective lunch hours of work. A new source of income for the Barton Fix-it Shop. I introduce to you-…Herr Ryan are you serious?" Tenenbaum asked as she turned and glared at him. Jack simply grinned devilishly and nodded.

"Alright…" she muttered turning back, "…I introduce to you, the very first…Circus of Values."

With that, Jack ripped the drop cloth off the object revealing an exact working replica of Rapture's Circus of Values vending machines. Only thing missing was a speaker on the clown's mouth and the lack of music coming from the machine.

"You built that?" Dick asked in amazement.

"Well that's certainly impressive." Franklin said with an impressed nod.

"What's it do?" Jean asked. Jack flipped the page on the notepad and pointed at it for Tenenbaum to read.

"It is largely built from a disused cigarette dispenser, several scrapped machines including a refrigerator, a car engine, and a record player. For a flat price of twenty five cents, you can purchase any item as listed on each of the knobs or four items for a dollar. It is fully stocked with pep-bars, powder coffee mix packets, boxes of bandages, packets of Tylenol, assorted candies, and even the daily newspaper." Tenenbaum read off.

"A vending machine. Huh, I'm impressed." Dick said as Jack shrugged.

"I intended it to be a new way of being able to gain some extra income. I've done the research and the money we make from the machine will be more than enough to replenish the stock and still make a profit." Jack signed.

"Is that before or after your cut of the profits?" Franklin asked as Jack arched a curious eyebrow.

"My cut? I don't get a cut aside from what Dick pays me in my salary. I built it for the shop, not for me to earn an extra nickel." Jack signed.

"Well that's mighty generous of you Jack. Let's see how she works." Dick said as he fished a quarter from his pocket and put it in the slot. He scanned through the selections before choosing a pep-bar and turning the knob. Almost instantly a pep-bar slid down the chute.

"Well, it looks like it works." Jean mumbled with a chuckle.

"Well done, Jack. It's a success." Julie said, giving Jack a kiss on the cheek with a smile. Jack did his best to smile back.

* * *

**A month later…**

It was Christmas time in Barton and Jack's Circus of Values machine was a hit. People were starting to come in specifically to purchase something from it. As Jack had promised, they were making enough money to replenish the stock and still make a profit. The machine had come in handy several times too, especially when a fender bender occurred outside the repair shop. Jack paid a dollar to get four boxes of bandages to patch up a bad cut on one of the victims. He then started stocking First Aid kits in the machine as a result. The shop however began losing business but not because of the vendor, which was soon the only thing keeping it afloat. Another, repair shop had gone in nearby and people were flocking to it and there looked to be no end of the declining business in sight. Then it happened…It was a cool December Thursday at noon as a man stumbled into the repair shop, clutching a broken electric heater…

"Merry Christmas, sir. What can I do for you?" Dick asked cheerily as the man put the heater down on the counter. Jean and Jack were sitting, playing cards at their work benches from sheer boredom.

"I was wondering if you could fix my heater. I'm here on a business trip from Raleigh and the hotel's heating went out last night and then this confounded machine breaks on me this morning." The man shivered as Dick nodded.

"Right, I'll put my best man on it. Jack! I've got an urgent order for you!" Dick called as Jack walked up to the counter and took the machine to his desk. His moustache was now more noticeable. The man was shivering something fierce.

"You look like you could use something warm. There's some powdered coffee in that vending machine there for a quarter. I'll let you use our coffee maker." Dick said as the man turned and looked at the Circus of Values.

"A vending machine?" he asked as he stumbled over to the machine and fumbled for a quarter. He put the quarter in and turned the knob for coffee and was dispensed a small packet of coffee powder. The man picked up the packet and looked at it oddly for a moment before turning and looking at the machine curiously.

"How very clever." The man said as he turned and handed Dick the packet, who started to prepare the coffee maker.

"It is, isn't it? There hasn't been a customer yet who hasn't bought something from it since we got it." Dick explained as the man looked at him curiously.

"Really? Where did you get it?" He asked.

"Jack, the man who's fixing your heater there, built it from an old scrapped cigarette vendor and some other parts." Dick replied, surprising the man.

"You mean there isn't another machine like this?" the man asked as Dick shrugged and nodded.

"Not unless Jack's been building and selling them on the side." Dick laughed as he handed the man a mug of fresh coffee.

"Well that might not be that farfetched a notion. You see, I happen to be the vice-president of the same company that produces the Wonder-Puff cigarette vending machines. The same kind that that machine's made of." The man said, causing Dick to pause.

"Uh, we didn't breach any kind of copyright did we?" Dick asked worriedly.

"No-no-no, you didn't. In fact, that's an old model that we've rendered obsolete. We've got dozens of these sitting in a warehouse and we've got nothing to do with them except send them to the dump. If you'd like, we can sell them all to you for only a fraction of their original value which would be less than what we'd have to pay for throwing them out. You could make more of these vending machines and sell them for your own profits." The man explained as Dick arched an eyebrow.

"Jack! You might want to get over here!" Dick called. Jack walked over with the now fixed heater.

"What have you heard of our conversation, Jack?" Dick asked.

"Everything." Jack signed back.

"Is he a mute?" the man asked curiously.

"By choice only. He's got a vocal condition that he prefers to not aggravate. He communicates in sign language. I can translate for you." Dick said as Jack nodded with a smile.

"Well, how about it? You can make more of these things and sell them to other companies. You can charge for repair and funnel resupply through you so then you can take a percentage of the resupply costs which makes a profit for you. Essentially you can get a nice tidy income from just a few of these machines. I know some people who would just enjoy having one of these machines in their businesses. I know our factories could use these for the workers, especially with the selection of goods in there." The man said as Jack pondered.

"I'll have to think about it." Jack said through Dick.

"I understand. Here's my card for when you make your decision." The man said handing both Dick and Jack a business card.

"Well, we'll let you know." Dick said as the man nodded and paid for the repairs for the heater before he bid them a fond farewell and leaving.

"Well Jack? A chain of Circus of Values machines all across North Carolina and possibly the entire United States." Dick said as Jack sighed in thought.

"I don't know. I'd need help building and modifying the machines. Plus I'd need to work out the business angles but that aside, it's a good idea to me." Jack signed.

"If ya need help, I'll help ya, Jack. Just show us some schematics and I'll work for ya." Jean said as Dick nodded.

"So would I. You could conceivably become my boss with that. Tell you what, you've got a brilliant mind for business, so you work out what business angles you need to and we'll be ready for what you need us to do. This could become the official offices for Circus of Values incorporated!" Dick declared, earning a laugh from Jack.

"What about the shop?" Jack asked as Dick sighed.

"Look around you, Jack. There're no more customers here and there's nothing but electronic devices that people have just left here instead of claiming them. They've all gone to that new shop down the street. They're faster and have more people and space. Your machine is what's kept us in business this long. I've given thought of closing this shop but this man has given us an early Christmas present…A chance. A chance at a new career and it's more beneficial to you since you've got those five youngin's to feed and clothe at home." Dick said as Jack smiled and nodded.

"You're right." Jack spoke. Slightly surprising the two.

"You do speak!" Jean exclaimed.

"I'm gonna have to. Oh and it's not going to be Circus of Values incorporated. It'll be Ryan Vendors." Jack said as Dick chuckled.

"Fair enough. Well, whaddya say?" Dick asked as Jack nodded.

"Alright. I'll call the man." Jack said as he picked up the phone. It was at that moment that Ryan Vendors Inc. was born. True to his word, the man began selling Jack the obsolete cigarette vending machines and Jack, Dick, and Jean began modifying the machines. By the time the following Thursday rolled around, they had five fully functional Circus of Values machines ready to be sold to prospective buyers. Their first customer was the Wonder-Puff cigarette company who bought one for their local factory and one for their corporate offices, raking in a tidy profit, almost double the amount that the repair shop would make in a month. It became an early Christmas for Dick and Jean who began making more money than they were initially while Jack deliberately kept himself at his initial salary. They soon began to remodel the shop to accommodate the work floor. Jack got Dick's old office and would crunch numbers when he wasn't working on the machines. He finally had to hire Dr. Tenenbaum just to do the number crunching to allow him more time to work on the machines since they started getting more orders for the vending machines. By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, Mycroft's Repair Shop sign had been taken down and was replaced by a neon sign that read, "Ryan Vendors Inc. Corporate Headquarters."

* * *

**Christmas Eve, 1960…**

Jack and Julie were walking to Julie's house to wrap up some presents for the girls that they had just purchased at the last minute.

"Thanks for helping me with these. I wanted the girls to have something. I just didn't know what to get them." Julie said as they walked in through the front door to her house. It was an old yet well maintained two story plantation house dating back to before the civil war.

"Not a problem. I know you care for the girls so it was the least I could do." Jack said as they set the bags and parcels down on the floor in the den, a room surrounded by bookshelves and a fireplace against the wall with a sitting couch and green leather wing back chair.

"My father's out on an errand of his own. Patient emergency I think." Julie said as Jack nodded understandingly.

"I imagine the holidays will drive some people crazy huh?" Jack asked as Julie smiled and nodded with a laugh.

"I know, right? I'm going to go get the wrapping paper. Feel free to put some music on the phonograph if you want." Julie said as she walked off into the house. Jack shrugged and walked over to the selection of albums. He started flipping through them until he spotted something that looked eerily familiar. He flipped back to it and sure enough it was the one thing that made his heart sink. The Rise, Rapture, Rise record, still in its sleeve. He slid the record out but as he did, two folded pieces of paper fell out too. After he put the record on the turntable he unfolded the paper and found the two missing drawings. He sighed in frustration and disappointment.

"_Why now? Why does it have to be now, on Christmas Eve of all days? I have no choice though. I have to protect my girls."_ Jack said mentally as he heard Julie walking back in with rolls of wrapping paper in hand.

"Okay, here we go. I've got snowmen, snowflakes, some simple blue with green polka dots, oh and I put the kettle on with some tea in case you want some…" Julie said as Jack simply stood with his back turned to her, facing the record player. Julie got concerned from his lack of a response, "…Jack?"

"Hmm? Oh, I chose a song. Here, let me turn it on." Jack said turning on the phonograph. Julie furrowed her brow for a moment as the opening instrumentation began but the second the vocalist started singing her eyes widened in horror. Jack turned towards her with an angry scowl on his face.

"Jack?" she asked fearfully.

"Why did you steal the record? Why?" he asked, crossing his arms, making sure the Rapture Records cover was facing her in his hand.

"I-..." Julie stammered but she couldn't come up with an excuse, "…-Because I saw it and I thought of what the girls said. I thought that the record cover had nothing to do with the girls' stories but I had to know. But when I heard the record and heard the lyrics I…Rapture is real isn't it? It's as real as this very house isn't it?"

"You had no right." Jack growled, ripping the record off the phonograph and putting it back in the sleeve.

"I was curious! I told you when we met that my curiosity gets the better of me at times!" Julie pleaded as Jack raised the pictures.

"Enough to steal a child's drawing?" Jack roared angrily.

"You kept lying to me! I know how to tell when people are lying and you've lied to me every time we've been together! You've only told me the truth sporadically so I had to find some way of finding the truth! That record is physical proof that Rapture exists and that you've been keeping secrets from me!" Julie replied.

"You don't understand! You don't understand what I've gone through, what I've done to protect those girls! I saved them from a fate worse than death down there and in return they saved my life! If you had any idea what happened in Rapture, then you would do the same damn thing I would have! Rapture is not what its name implies! It's not Rapture, its Hell!" Jack yelled angrily as Julie dropped to her knees.

"Then help me understand! Help me know what happened and let me help you!" Julie pleaded, tears forming in her eyes as Jack threw up his hands.

"How can I trust you? You stole from me! You violated my trust! How can I trust you with anything anymore? I loved you, Julie! I honestly did! I had even given thought to asking your father for your hand! But that's all shot to hell thanks to you!" Jack yelled, grabbing the gifts they had purchased and stuffing the record and drawings into one of the emptier bags.

"Jack, please! Would you kindly just give me another chance?" Julie pleaded, Jack freezing in anger at the mention of the phrase, "would you kindly."

"Would you kindly? Would you kindly? I'm surprised that you don't even know how much I despise that phrase! If you hadn't stolen from me, you might have found out why! What did you hope to gain from learning about Rapture, huh? The location of an underwater city filled with all sorts of things you could use to get rich quick?" Jack asked as Julie started crying.

"No! No I would never-! Jack you have to believe that I'd never tell anyone about Rapture!" Julie pleaded.

"We're done, Julie! It's over!" Jack yelled over his shoulder as he stormed for the door, leaving Julie crying alone on the living room floor.

**

* * *

**

End Chapter 7.


	8. Engagement

**February, 1962**

After Jack had broken up with Julie, the following year seemed to have a great impact. Ryan Vendors Inc's business boomed and by the end of 1961 had managed to put at least one of their vending machines in each town. As a result they now desperately needed to move out of the small repair shop and into a new, much larger, building. At the same time, R. Fulton Elementary School found itself in need of a new building as well and the state government approved of a new building which was finished later that year. Ryan Vendors bought the old school house, using half; their profits off the Circus of Values machines and half Jack's family fortune which had actually been replenished slightly. Jack made his own personal workshop and office in Julie's old classroom out of nostalgia.

Jack had pulled the girls from R. Fulton due to the awkwardness with Julie, and put them in a different school before the year even began. The girls missed Julie and naturally asked why she wasn't around anymore. Jack's answer was that the school wasn't good enough for them and that their new school, St. James Catholic School, would be better for them. He was technically right too since the school, albeit a little bit further away and more expensive, had a glowing word of mouth review from the other parents in town. He also asked the girls, not to talk about Rapture anymore, to avoid a repeat of the incident. The girls were now eight years old, having all been five at the time of their rescue from Rapture and turning six in 1960 and then seven in 1961.

Tenenbaum decided to stay on with Ryan Vending, acting as Jack's assistant and translator for his sign language. Despite the success of his new company, Jack was disheartened. He hadn't found anyone to replace Julie in his heart and he would occasionally see her around town though they would never speak to each other should they notice the other. It wasn't until February that something happened that would again, change his life. Jack was walking towards the front door to the building when he heard a familiar voice.

"Would you please, make sure that Mr. Ryan gets this? My daughter sends her regards."

"Yes sir, I will make sure he gets this." Mrs. Anna Rothschild, Jean's mother and Jack's secretary, said. Jack hurried up and turned the corner to see it was none other than Dr. Franklin Stein.

"Doctor Stein." Jack said respectfully.

"Mr. Ryan." Franklin said calmly, his disdain for Jack's breaking Julie's heart very obvious in his expression.

"Is your practice going well?" Jack asked as Franklin nodded.

"Yes. I see your business is going well. Julie sends her regards. She also wants to make sure you get this." Franklin said as he handed Jack an envelope with Jack, Dr. Tenenbaum, and the girls names on it.

"I hope she's doing well." Jack said as Franklin nodded.

"She is. She's doing quite well for herself actually. She got a promotion. She's the vice-principal and still teaching the same class at R. Fulton now." Franklin said as Jack smiled and nodded.

"I should send her something to say congratulations." Jack said as Franklin sighed and shrugged.

"Are you sure, you want to do that?" Franklin asked as Jack nodded.

"I think it's time to bury the hatchet. I've always hoped for the best for her. I've still continued to make donations to the school simply because she works there. Hell, my office and private workshop is her old classroom." Jack said as Franklin gave an understanding nod.

"And she feels the same way. She appears to have forgiven you. I just have a hard time bringing myself to do the same." Franklin said as Jack looked at the floor.

"I can't blame you for that. If anyone broke one of my little girl's hearts, I'd want to snap him in two. If you wanted to hit someone right now then here's my chin." Jack said, bracing himself for a possible blow. Quick as a flash, Jack was on his back, having been dealt a painful blow to the stomach and an uppercut to the chin. Franklin was even wincing in pain as if something had shocked him. The secretary was reaching for the phone to call the cops but Jack stopped her.

"No! No cops! No cops!" Jack signed quickly. Franklin stood horrified at what he had just done.

"Oh, Jack! I'm sorry! I-I let my anger get the better of me! I've always had a temper issue!" Franklin said as he helped him off the floor, genuinely mortified at having punched Jack.

"No, don't be. I deserved it. Besides, isn't punching something therapeutic?" Jack asked as Franklin sat him down in a chair.

"Yes but it's supposed to be something inanimate, not a person or animal! A pillow is suggested! Besides as a Doctor, I swore an oath to do no harm!" Franklin said as he sat down next to Jack.

"Relax Doctor. All's forgiven." Jack said as Dr. Tenenbaum entered and glared at Jack with an annoyed look.

"Herr Ryan, what did you do?" Tenenbaum asked as she quickly put a quarter in a Circus of Values machine by the door and purchased a med kit to treat Jack's wounds.

"Nothing I didn't deserve, Doctor." Jack replied as Franklin felt something on his hand. He looked at his hand and saw that his knuckles were a little bloody. Jack's face was in perfect condition however as if his skin was extra durable.

"Doctor, I don't suppose I could use that med kit as well?" Franklin asked, earning a glare from Tenenbaum that clearly said no.

"Med kits cost a quarter Herr Doctor." Tenenbaum said as Jack gave her a scolding glare while simultaneously handing Franklin a quarter.

"Here." Jack said as Franklin bought himself a med kit.

"You're pretty durable. It's like you're made of stone." Franklin said as he treated his hand.

"Or have an armored shell." Jack said, looking at Tenenbaum who nodded understandingly. He was referring to his lingering gene tonic effects.

"I think you also might be holding a charge. If I didn't know any better I could have sworn that I got shocked when I punched you just now." Franklin said as Jack shrugged.

"I do tinker with electrical machinery all day." Jack said as Franklin shrugged and finished his work on patching up his hand.

"Well…I probably should leave before someone does call the police." Franklin said as Jack scoffed.

"If anyone does, I'll send them away post-haste." Jack said as he waved the comment off dismissively.

"Thank you, and again, I'm sorry for punching you, son. Anyway, please be sure to read Julie's letter." Franklin said as Jack nodded, holding the letter in his hand.

"I will." Jack replied.

"See you around, Mr. Ryan." Franklin said as Jack nodded.

"It's Jack, to you, and I'll see you around as well." Jack said as Franklin nodded and walked out the door.

**…**

"What were you thinking, letting him punch you?" Tenenbaum asked angrily as they entered Jack's office.

"Relax, Doctor, I deserved it. That was Julie's father after all." Jack said as he sat down at his desk.

"If you had your wrench you could have defended yourself." Tenenbaum said as Jack groaned.

"No, I wasn't going to defend myself unless he made a legitimate attempt to kill me. Besides those old gene tonics would have made it more difficult for him to do so." Jack said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"Alright, I understand." Tenenbaum said as Jack reached for his letter opener and opened the letter from Julie. He opened up the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was a letter which read…

"_Dear Jack…_

_I know you probably don't have any reason to talk to me, but I thought I'd at least try to open the lines of communication again. A year is a long time to hold a grudge. I know what I did was wrong, and I deserved what I got. I should never have pried into your family background. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to meet for coffee or lunch sometime. I'd like to ask you something, and I will go as far to say that it does technically involve your family's past but it's a way to provide an out, something called plausible deniability. If you're interested, just give me a call. You know the number._

_Love, Julie."_

Jack finished the letter with a sigh and he leaned back in thought.

"No."

"Doctor, it's not your call. And stop reading over my shoulder." Jack said as he reached for the phone.

* * *

**That night…**

Jack walked through the front doors to the Dew Drop Inn, a local restaurant. Once in the door he saw Julie sitting at a corner table. She had noticeably changed as her blond hair was now shoulder length but still retained its curls. Jack took a deep breath and approached her, wearing his Andrew Ryan ensemble.

"Jack." Julie said as Jack sat down across from her.

"Julie. It's been a while. I hear that you've been doing well for yourself." Jack said as Julie nodded.

"Yes, and I've noticed that you have too." Julie said with a small smile.

"So…what's this about plausible deniability?" Jack asked as Julie glanced towards the back corner of the room, towards the restrooms.

"Well…you mentioned when we first met, that you were planning on writing a book about Rapture. Were you actually considering doing that?" Julie asked as Jack shrugged.

"I've given thought to it once or twice." Jack replied.

"Well, the reason I ask is because, if you want to protect your family even more, you could use something that you can use to deny all existence of Rapture. Simply put, write a book." Julie said, earning an arched eyebrow from Jack.

"A book?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. I have a friend who's a publicist. He's in the men's room right now and I might have let slip that you've got an idea for a book. I didn't go further than that." Julie said as Jack leaned back, his eye twitching.

"Well thanks for that little sabotage, Julie." Jack said as Julie sighed.

"Look, I didn't want to tell him, but my father was with me at the time and suggested I introduce the two of you. He said he could help you publish your book. That's all that was said." Julie said as Jack shrugged.

"Well…" Jack said as he pondered, "…I suppose I can at least give it a shot."

"Thank you, Jack." Julie said as a man in grey business suit and trousers and white shirt with black tie approached them. He was a little older than Jack by the looks of him, but he was clean shaven and his black hair slicked back.

"Ah, I see your friend has arrived." The man said as Julie stood up with a smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"Alex, this is Mr. Jonathan Ryan. Jack this is Mr. Alexander McMillan." Julie introduced as the two men shook hands.

"A pleasure, call me Alex." Alex said as he sat down next to Julie.

"Likewise, and call me Jack." Jack signed, earning a confused look from Alex.

"Is he alright?" Alex asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry; Jack's shy about using his voice around strangers. He's got a vocal condition." Julie explained.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry about that. So what has my spring flower told you about me?" Alex asked curiously, earning a confused eyebrow from Jack.

"Spring flower?" Jack signed to Julie.

"Uh, I've only mentioned your occupation as a publicist." Julie replied.

"Spring flower?" Jack signed again, expecting an answer.

"Yes, Jack. He calls me his spring flower." Julie replied as Alex nodded.

"Well why wouldn't I? We are engaged after all." Alex said as Jack's eyes widened.

"What?" He asked, causing Julie to cringe slightly.

"Oh, so that's your voice. Mmm, I can see your hesitance." Alex said with a shrug.

"How long have the two of you been engaged?" Jack signed.

"Since November. We plan on getting married in July." Julie replied as Jack nodded understandingly.

"You are invited to the wedding you know? Any friend of Julie's is a friend of mine and vice-versa. Julie has said that your daughters are the sweetest things." Alex said as Jack looked at Julie who read his reaction.

"Calm down, I told him exactly that. That they were sweet." Julie signed as Jack calmed down.

"Julie said something about you being a publicist." Jack signed and Julie translated.

"Ah yes, Julie tells me that you've got some riveting story that you've been writing. I'm always anxious to find a new author to publish and with a rising star like you here in town, running a state wide business like Ryan Vendors Inc. it's bound to sell very well. So what is it? An autobiography? A novel?" Alex asked excitedly.

"A novel actually. I haven't come up with a name for it yet, nor is it anywhere near finished." Jack said through Julie.

"Intriguing. Tell me about it." Alex said as Jack paused, he glanced at Julie and then at Alex.

"Actually, I'd rather wait till it's ready, then you can get the full experience of it." Jack said vocally as Alex smiled and nodded.

"Alright, so how long do you suppose it'll take to finish?" Alex asked.

"A few months, give or take. May probably." Jack replied as Alex smiled happily.

"Excellent." Alex said as Jack glanced at Julie.

"Do you mind if I borrow your fiancé for a moment?" Jack asked as Alex smiled and shrugged.

"By all means." Alex said as Julie followed Jack outside.

"Alright, I get it, you're still mad." Julie said as Jack nodded.

"That and I still don't trust you. How do I know he's not some friend of yours trying to bilk me out of divulging more of my secrets?" Jack asked as Julie sighed.

"Are you really that paranoid?" She asked as Jack crossed his arms.

"When it comes to you, yes. As I recall, a certain record and two child's drawings mysteriously vanishing and reappearing in your house, is more than I call a coincidence." Jack said.

"Jack I'm trying to help you here. I'm trying to give you something that you can use to cover your tail. Look at it this way, you said I didn't understand what you went through, so here's your chance to make me understand." Julie said as Jack sighed.

"Alright…the only reason I'm doing this though is, like you said, to cover my own tail and keep my girls safe. If I smell an ounce of betrayal on your part, it will the last time you hear from me because I will move my headquarters elsewhere if necessary." Jack said as Julie nodded.

"I understand. I won't betray you this time, I promise." Julie said as Jack turned slightly.

"That remains to be seen." Jack said as he turned and walked away, leaving Julie alone outside the restaurant.

* * *

**Back at the Ryan Residence…**

Jack sat at his desk in his room writing in his book and listening to La Mer on the phonograph when Suzanna, or Suzy as she was now being called in school, peaked inside.

"Papa, are you okay?" Suzy asked as Jack looked up. A warm smile spread across his face like it always did when he was with one or more of his girls.

"Yes, Suzy, I'm okay. I'm just a little sad that's all." He said.

"Why?" Suzy asked as she walked into the room and sat on his lap. Jack held her close.

"I saw Miss Stein again today. It brought up some memories I wanted to forget." Jack said as Suzy looked up at him.

"She was nice." Suzy said as Jack nodded.

"Yes, yes she was. She still is, but…she hurt daddy is all." Jack replied.

"I know." Suzy said. She really didn't know but she figured saying that would help.

"You're a good girl for checking on me, Suzy. Are your sisters worried about me too?" Jack asked as Suzy nodded.

"You don't smile anymore." Suzy replied.

"I don't smile?" he asked curiously.

"You don't smile. You put on a pretend smile." Suzy said Jack looked at her curiously.

"How do you know that?" Jack asked.

"You just…don't smile." Suzy replied. Jack smiled again.

"Like that. That's a pretend smile." Suzy said as Jack sighed.

"Suzy, dear, when you get to be older, I hope you never have to go through what I have." Jack said before kissing her on the head.

"Okay, Papa." Suzy said as she slid off his lap and walked out of his room. Jack turned back to his book and flipped to the inside cover. The book was actually the story of his adventure in Rapture. He was having a hard time coming up with a name for the story. Rapture didn't seem to fit, no matter how hard he tried. He was scrambling for a name.

"I named my girls so how am I having a hard time naming a book?" Jack asked himself as he stood up and walked out of his room, passing Tenenbaum's room. She had the door open as she sat, observing a small withered creature in a jar full of a strange liquid. The creature looked like a sort of slug.

"What is that?" Jack asked.

"This is a dead ADAM slug that I brought from Rapture." Tenenbaum said as Jack leaned in close to get a good look at the creature.

"That thing was put inside the girls?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum nodded.

"Yes. The remnants of the slug still reside within each of the girls, still producing very small amounts of ADAM." Tenenbaum explained.

"They still produce ADAM?" Jack asked. Tenenbaum nodded again.

"Yes but not enough to affect them. You produce a little ADAM yourself, you know." Tenenbaum said, earning a look from Jack.

"Did you implant a slug in me?" he asked as Tenenbaum laughed.

"No, but we did genetically alter your biological structure with a special gene tonic that causes you to naturally produce your own ADAM. It was so you would be able to wield more powerful plasmids in conjunction with the others. Didn't you ever wonder why you were able to wield so many plasmids and use so many gene tonics at once?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack sighed.

"Great, that explains why some of my plasmids and tonics are still functioning." Jack said, leaning against her doorpost.

"Don't worry. So someone gets shocked occasionally if they touch you. The biological shock to their nervous system will feel like a harmless discharge of static electricity." Tenenbaum said as Jack stood up.

"I'm so encouraged." Jack mumbled as he walked back to his room. As soon as he sat down at his desk and looked at a notepad that had the scratched out titles for the book, a though occurred to him.

"The biological shock to their nervous system…biological shock. Hmm…Bioshock? Bioshock…Bioshock! That's it! It's perfect!" Jack exclaimed as he quickly wrote down the new title of his book.

"_Bioshock."_

* * *

**End Chapter 8.**


	9. The White Rook

"So you think we might be able to expand to South Carolina?" Jack asked as Dick nodded. They were in Jack's private workshop in the Ryan Vendors Inc. building.

"Yeah, we've gotten an order from a South Carolina gas station owner." Dick said as Jack shrugged.

"Okay then. Interested in a trip to South Carolina?" Jack asked as Dick arched an eyebrow.

"Me?" He asked curiously.

"Of course. You're the president. I can't go, I've got too much work to do here, and I can't leave the girls for that long. Take your wife, make it a paid vacation." Jack said as Dick blinked.

"Well, if you insist." Dick said as Jack nodded.

"I insist. Go, enjoy yourself!" Jack said as Dick smiled and walked out the door. Jack smiled and returned to writing his book. He had just reached the smuggler's cave where Andrew Ryan had supposedly killed "Atlas's" wife and son "Moira and Patrick." He then heard a knock at the door. He looked up and saw Dr. Stein standing in the doorway.

"Dr. Stein?" Jack asked, putting his book in the drawer of his desk and standing up to greet the doctor.

"Mr. Ryan, I just wanted to check on you. I still feel guilty about punching you." Franklin said as Jack groaned.

"Dr. Stein, you don't have to keep apologizing. I deserved it, really I did." Jack said as he motioned for the Doctor to take a seat.

"Well, it's my conscience you need to convince. Anyway, I do have an ulterior motive for coming here." Franklin said, earning an arched eyebrow from Jack.

"Really?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yes. You see, I feel that I should come clean about something." Franklin said.

"About what?" Jack asked, clueless.

"Well…it's about Julie. I was the one who pushed Julie to continue investigating you." Franklin said as Jack sighed and glanced down at his desk.

"It's all in the past, Dr. Stein. I've done my best to forgive Julie but trust is something that must be earned." Jack said as Franklin nodded in agreement.

"I know. But I must ask…who are you really?" Franklin asked, earning a confused look from Jack.

"I beg your pardon?" Jack asked.

"I've had a relative in law enforcement look for you and he can't find any sort of record of a Jonathan Ryan anywhere. Your daughters don't even exist either." Franklin said as Jack slipped open a drawer where his wrench was hidden.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Jack asked as Franklin shook his head.

"No. I'm merely trying to find the next piece of the puzzle." Franklin replied.

"Puzzle of what?" Jack asked, standing up, walking over and locking his door. Franklin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a white pamphlet. He dropped the pamphlet on Jack's desk.

"What is this?" Jack asked as he picked up the pamphlet. Written on it was the phrase "International Organization of the Pawns."

"I am a member of an international organization that currently investigates a mysterious occurrence that started in 1946 and ended sometime around 1952, an occurrence that we call, simply, the vanishing." Franklin said as Jack arched a curious eyebrow.

"The Vanishing?" Jack asked as Franklin nodded.

"Yes. The Vanishing is what we refer to as the sudden and unexplained disappearance of thousands of the worlds brightest and most gifted of scientists, athletes, entertainers, and businessmen. Your father, Andrew Ryan, is the one who is on most lists when any list of the Vanished is compared. It is the Pawn's goal to answer the unexplained mystery of where these people went. Many attribute it to UFOs or Soviet Spies. We refuse that answer and we continue our search. My codename is, White Rook." Franklin explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asked as Franklin leaned back.

"Because, unlike others who may scoff at your claim to be the son of Andrew Ryan, I believe you truly are. I also believe that you know where he is or at least what happened to him. Rapture, if I'm not mistaken." Franklin said as Jack fingered his wrench.

"How do you assume that I know where he is?" Jack asked.

"Because your nanny, Doctor Brigid Tenenbaum, has been declared missing since 1946, when the vanishing began. It's also the same time that your father disappeared as well. For Dr. Tenenbaum to just pop up again in 1960 after being gone for forty-four years and become the nanny of your five girls cannot be coincidence." Franklin said as Jack set his wrench on the desk.

"Watch what you say about my girls. Say what you want about Tenenbaum, but not my girls. Do you understand me?" Jack asked as Franklin began to sweat a little.

"I understand you perfectly. If I had any reason or desire to do anything to your children, don't you think I would have done it by now? I'm only interested in the answer to one question. Where did the Vanished go? Right now the entire Organization of Pawns is stalemated. There are no answers regarding the vanished and their location. We suspect our founder, a man named Orrin Oscar Lutwidge, found the answer. The answer of this place you told Julie. This, Rapture." Franklin said as Jack looked at him curiously.

"Lutwidge? I've never heard of him." Jack said.

"It's doubtful you have. Rumor amongst the Pawns was that he was spotted around August two years ago." Franklin said.

"So why do you assume that I'm the one who knows the truth and why do you tell me who you are and what group you're a part of?" Jack asked as Franklin sighed.

"To be honest, I'm telling you more as a warning." Franklin said as Jack arched an eyebrow.

"A warning? Is someone from your group after me or is the whole group after me?" Jack asked as Franklin shook his head.

"The former scenario is more accurate. There is a renegade member in our group, known simply as the Red Pawn. He's the former assistant of our leader, Red Queen, or Lutwidge. He's been reported to be in the area for over a year now, trying to find my breakthrough discovery." Franklin said as Jack furrowed his brow.

"Me." Jack said as Franklin nodded.

"It is now more imperative than ever that you protect the secrets of Rapture. Hide or destroy anything that might give the Red Pawn a clue. I don't care what history you have with Rapture, I'm simply not interested in it. My only concern is about protecting you and your family." Franklin said as Jack looked at him curiously.

"You want to protect me?" Jack asked as Franklin nodded.

"Yes. You are the most crucial piece of the puzzle that any member of the organization has ever found. It is my duty to ensure that you are protected at all costs." Franklin said as Jack leaned back in his chair.

"Have you ever seen this man?" Jack asked as Franklin sighed and shook his head.

"No, I haven't. His face is a mystery to me. I haven't a clue." Franklin said as Jack shrugged.

"If he tries to harm my girls, then he'll pay for it. But let me ask you this, is Julie a member of this organization?" Jack asked as Franklin shook his head.

"No. She, as far as I know, remains unaware of it. I've deliberately kept her out of the loop. I am ashamed to admit however, that I have used her as a spy. I encouraged her relationship with you in order to get your reactions and try to piece together the puzzle. Now I'm certain of the answer. The Vanished, went to Rapture. That's it, end of story. I need no more answers. I'm satisfied with the results." Franklin said as Jack pondered.

"Did…did Julie really learn to read people for deception? Did you teach her how?" Jack asked as Franklin nodded.

"Yes, I am responsible for that. Although it wasn't because of you that she learned it. She's known how to read people for years. Long before you even came to town." Franklin explained.

"Then why did she steal my daughter's drawings?" Jack asked.

"She wanted to see my opinion on the matter and brought them to me. I assumed she would return them the next day but she didn't." Franklin said as Jack rapped his fingers on the desk.

"And my record?" Jack asked.

"Rise, Rapture, Rise? That one was my doing. I had told her that if she finds anything related to Rapture, to bring it to me. She took my advice literally. Don't hold her guilty for that. It was also me who planted the record by the phonograph with the drawings in it." Franklin said as Jack paused.

"Wait…you planted it? You mean, you wanted me to find it?" Jack asked as Franklin nodded.

"…and to end it with Julie. I had to get you away from us as fast as possible because of the alert I got two years ago in early November that the Red Pawn was in the area." Franklin said.

"You orchestrated our break up?" Jack asked in shock.

"I had to. In order to protect both you and my daughter, I had to separate you two. Forcing the break up by planting evidence that she had stolen from you, knowing that you were desperate to keep Rapture hidden for the sake of your daughters was the only way I could think of without directly intervening." Franklin said as Jack looked stunned.

"Then…that explains your conscience." Jack said as Franklin nodded.

"Yes. Causing you to break up with my daughter and then punching you the other day, only made me feel worse. I had to pretend to be angry to keep up the charade." Franklin said as Jack leaned back in thought.

"Then, what aren't you telling me?" Jack asked as Franklin sighed heavily.

"I'm not totally convinced that the Red Pawn has disappeared. I suspect that he's trying some new underhanded method of getting to you. I'm not certain what though." Franklin said as Jack pondered.

"What do you know about Red Pawn?" Jack asked.

"All I know is that he's from Ireland. He's an Irish native that moved to America then moved back to Ireland years ago. I'm not sure what he's doing now but I suspect that he's still somewhere here in North Carolina, trying to find you." Franklin said as Jack turned slightly in his chair.

"If he makes a move against me, then he'll get a taste of what he could expect in Rapture should he ever find it." Jack said, clinching his left fist.

"I imagine so." Franklin said as he stood up and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Mr. Ryan, one more thing. Not a word of our conversation to Julie." Franklin said as Jack nodded.

"She still thinks I don't trust her. I'm not telling her a thing." Jack said as Franklin arched an eyebrow.

"Does this mean you trust her again now?" Franklin asked with a small smile as Jack shrugged and rested his hands behind his head.

"I'm not making any promises." Jack said as Franklin smiled and walked out the door, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. He soon returned to his book, rereading some of his writing.

"_After dealing with that robotic machine gun turret, I hurried through the tunnels leading toward the submarine bay controls where Atlas's family waited for Atlas himself to rescue them."_ Jack had written. He then paused, contemplating Atlas.

"_Atlas, the Irish common man turned liberator, the alias of Frank Fontaine, a New York gangster and conman." _Jack said in his mind before he realized something.

"Atlas was supposedly Irish? The Red Pawn is Irish. Hmm, I wonder." Jack said as he picked up the phone and called the secretary.

"Yes, is Dr. Stein still here? I want to run something by him."

* * *

**Later…**

"And you say this organization is looking for me?" Tenenbaum asked as she and Jack sat alone at the dinner table, sipping tea.

"Yes. Essentially everyone from Rapture." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed.

"Well…at least someone out there cares for us. Though most of the people they are looking for are either dead or insane from the Splicing." Tenenbaum said as Jack nodded.

"True." Jack said. They sat in silence for a while, the sounds of a kids show playing on the television in the den, the girls occasionally laughing at the antics of the characters.

"If you ever had to go back…what would you do?" Tenenbaum asked finally.

"To Rapture? First of all, why would I ever go back?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"It's a theoretical question. What would you do?" Tenenbaum asked.

"I'm not quite sure I'm getting the question. It would probably depend on why I'm there in the first place?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"Alright. How would you react if Rapture was ever found?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack pondered.

"I'd probably destroy it. There are evils down there that should never be found. Splicing being the number one evil." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"I agree. If I had never discovered ADAM in the first place, it never would have become as bad as it was two years ago and those girls would never have had those slugs put into them." Tenenbaum said with a sigh.

"Mistakes are lessons. We must learn from them so that we don't repeat them. Time will allow us to move on from these mistakes and perhaps even forget them, but forgetting them might result in these mistakes occurring all over again. A man remembers these mistakes and learns from them, but a parasite demands these mistakes occur again or points to these mistakes so that the original goal is shunned by the other parasites in order to limit man's ingenuity further. A quote from Andrew Ryan's "Men, Slaves, and Parasites." Jack said, earning a look from Tenenbaum.

"You are your father's son." Tenenbaum said as Jack sighed.

"It's what I get for reading that book." Jack said, heading into his room.

"Where are you going?" Tenenbaum asked.

"To finish my book." Jack replied before he closed the door to his room. Tenenbaum smiled and decided to join the girls in the den.

"Alright mien little ones, time to turn off the television." Tenenbaum said as the girls looked up at her.

"Mama Tenenbaum? Is daddy going to be okay?" Masha asked.

"He doesn't smile anymore." Amelia, or Amy as she had become known at school, said.

"Yeah, he pretend smiles." Rebecca, or Becky, said.

"Is it something we did?" Brigid asked.

"No-no little ones. Your father could never be angry at you. He's just troubled by some things right now." Tenenbaum replied.

"But he never spends any time with us anymore." Suzy said.

"He never plays with us." Amy added.

"Girls, let me tell you something. I know, your father seems sad right now, but I know that deep inside, he loves you all so much, that he will do anything to keep you safe and make you happy." Tenenbaum said as the girls looked at each other.

"Should we go tell him we love him too?" Masha asked as Tenenbaum smiled warmly at them.

"I think he would like that very much." Tenenbaum said as the girls quietly shuffled towards his room. They could hear the sound of Le Mer playing on the phonograph in his room. They cracked the door open and saw him writing in his book at the desk.

"Daddy?" Becky asked, catching his attention.

"Girls? Is something wrong?" Jack asked, closing the book. The girls quietly paraded inside and then hugged him all at once.

"We're worried about you, daddy." Masha said.

"And we want you to be happy too." Suzy said.

"We don't like it when you pretend smile." Becky said.

"Is there something we can do to make you smile for real?" Amy asked.

"Anything at all?" Brigid asked. Jack was deeply touched by the girls and their care for him. He silently flashed back to the boat ride from Rapture to America, when they all decided to accept the last name, Ryan. A tear ran down his face as he smiled.

"I just want you five, to keep doing your best in everything you do. I want you to learn, to find love, to live. It's the chance that all six of us have given each other. We should try and take that chance." Jack said as he put his arms around his girls. He then glanced over at the door and saw Tenenbaum smiling in at them, reaching in to grab his camera off the desk. Jack was tempted to slam the door on her arm but resisted considering the moment. He allowed Tenenbaum to snap a photo of the six of them in a group hug. It was at that moment he decided something.

"_I was given the chance to find love but lost it…I might have been given it again. I'll know if I'm patient. I just have to be patient."_

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Alex, have you seen my dress shoes?" Julie called as she dug through her closet.

"No my spring flower, I haven't!" Alex called back from the den.

"I've got to find them or else I can't go anywhere tonight." Julie said.

"We're not going anywhere tonight, the party's tomorrow dear!" Alex replied.

"Oh, well if I can't find them now, we won't find them then!" Julie shouted.

"What sort of logic is that?" Alex asked in amusement.

"My own silly logic." Julie replied with a playful smile as the phone rang.

"I've got it!" Alex called as he picked up the phone, "Hello, Stein residence, Alex McMillan speaking, how may I help you?"

"Who is it dear?" Julie asked.

"It's someone claiming to be your uncle Stephen! He says he needs to talk to either you or your father urgently!" Alex replied. Julie furrowed her brow. She knew her uncle Stephen from the Sherriff's office.

"I'll take it!" Julie said as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Julie asked.

…

"Yes uncle, it's me."

…

"Red Pawn? No I've never heard of him."

…

"Be careful? What would this, Red Pawn want with me?"

…

"My father? What does he have to do with-…"

…

"What?"

…

"The Vanishing?"

…

"A renegade?"

…

"Jack? What does he have to do with any-…oh hello dear."

"We need to talk my Spring flower. Hang up the phone, please."

"It'll only be a minute, darling."

"I said, hang up the phone." Click-click-click.

"(Gasp) Alex, what are you doing with that-?"

"I said HANG UP THE PHONE!"

(Dial tone)

* * *

**End Chapter 9.**


	10. The Red Pawn

Jack and Tenenbaum were just putting the girls to bed when they heard a pounding on the door.

"_What the devil?" _Tenenbaum asked in German. She scrambled to the door and opened the chest plate on the diving suit by the door where they had stashed the revolver just in case. She opened the door, one hand on the revolver.

"Dr. Tenenbaum! Thank God you're still up!"

"Herr Doctor? What is it? What's the matter?" Tenenbaum asked as Dr. Stein entered, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

"There's no time, where's Jack?" He asked frantically.

"Dr. Stein? What is it? What's wrong?" Jack asked as he entered. The girls were all poking their heads out the door to their rooms.

"It's the Red Pawn! He's got Julie!" Franklin said as Jack's face turned to one of horror and disbelief.

"What?" Jack asked as he tore off to his room.

"I come home and find the place a shambles! There was sign of a struggle! I then get a call from my contact in the Sherriff's office and he said that our hunch was correct!" Franklin said as Jack entered his room and started dialing the combination to his safe, where his weapons were stored.

"Hunch? What hunch?" Tenenbaum asked.

"You mean McMillan is the Red Pawn?" Jack asked, still dialing the safe as Franklin nodded.

"The evidence fits! There is no record of an Alexander McMillan ever existing! The publishing company he works for doesn't exist either! He's the Red Pawn, there's no doubt about it!" Franklin said as Jack opened the safe, revealing his weapons. Jack grabbed and armed his modified revolver with basic ammo and put the clip of Anti-personnel ammo on his belt. He then grabbed the modified Tommy gun and did the same thing.

"What are you doing Herr Ryan?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack continued arming the Tommy gun.

"I'm going to rescue Julie and kill that son of a bitch!" Jack growled as he finished with the Tommy gun and started arming the modified shotgun.

"Those weapons! Are they-?" "Modified in Rapture, yes!" Jack interrupted.

"But the Red Pawn is a dangerous man; he might have a gun as well!" Franklin said as Jack nodded.

"I'm not worried about myself. If I let bullet wounds harm me, I wouldn't very well be here still, now would I?" Jack asked as Franklin paled.

"How many times have you been shot?" Franklin asked as Tenenbaum groaned slightly.

"Too many times." Tenenbaum mumbled.

"How did you survive? No-never mind! What are we going to do about Julie?" Franklin asked. Before they could answer, the phone rang.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Tenenbaum asked as she walked into the den and picked up the phone. The girls were still peering out from their room.

"Hello?" Tenenbaum asked as she answered the phone.

"_I presume this is the once missing, Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum. I'd like to speak with Mister Ryan, would you kindly?"_ A man with an Irish accent said as Tenenbaum stiffened up.

"Herr Ryan, it's for you." She said calmly as Jack snatched the phone from her hand.

"McMillan? Or should I say Red Pawn?" Jack asked angrily. Franklin silently picked up the phone in the kitchen to listen in.

"_Well-well, ya figured it out, didn't ya boyo? Yes, I'm the Red Pawn. I know ya got the girl's old man there with ya so I'll make this simple. You give me the coordinates of Rapture, and I'll hand your pretty little girlfriend over with nary a scratch."_ Alex said as Jack clinched his fists.

"If you want the coordinates of Rapture, you'll have to get it from me in person and Julie better be alive." Jack warned.

"_Alright, you want an exchange then. Would you kindly bring that book-o-yours with Rapture's coordinates and the old man, to the abandoned warehouse on pier thirteen, unarmed, and no police or little Miss Stein gets it."_ Alex said as Jack snarled at the mention of the "Would you kindly" phrase.

"Is she alright? I demand to know that she's alive!" Jack said.

"_Jack?"_ Julie's voice echoed.

"Julie! Are you alright?" Jack asked.

"_Don't give it to him! Don't give him Rapture!"_ Julie pleaded before Alex interrupted.

"_That's quite enough of that. Pier thirteen, with your book, and Rapture's coordinates. I'll be seein' ya soon boyo."_ Alex said before hanging up. Jack hung up and started rubbing his chin in thought.

"You can't take your weapons? We'll be dead as sure as I'm standing here if we give into his demands." Franklin said as Jack walked back to his safe and started unloading the ammunition from the guns.

"Then we'll have to use a different weapon." Jack said as he finished putting the weapons up and grabbed a lockbox from off of a shelf.

"A different kind of weapon? He said no guns!" Franklin said as Jack set the lockbox on the desk.

"Herr Doctor, trust him, he knows what he's doing." Tenenbaum said, earning a look from Franklin.

"Does he?" Franklin asked as Jack opened the lockbox, revealing nine, neatly arranged hypodermic needles filled with a glowing blue liquid.

"Doctor, how much do you think it will take to revitalize my Plasmids and gene tonics?" Jack asked, confusing Franklin.

"One should give you a full recharge, just like when you expend your energy when using Plasmids. Be warned though, it'll have a bit of a bite to it I think." Tenenbaum said as Jack pulled out one of the needles.

"What are you going to do Jack?" Franklin asked as Jack looked at the needle, his breathing having increased.

"I'm going to give the Red Pawn, a taste of what he can expect if he ever does find Rapture." Jack said as he stabbed the needle into his wrist and injected the blue liquid into him. He then dropped the empty needle and started convulsing in pain as his hands started to glow with a blue electrical charge. Finally the convulsing stopped and Jack turned to Franklin with a murderous glare in his eyes.

"Let's go. I'm ready."

* * *

**At the warehouse…**

Julie was tied to a chair surrounded by several barrels of oil. The floorbeneath her was slicked with it as well. Alex was sitting backwards in a chair, waiting for Jack and Franklin to arrive.

"He'll never give you Rapture! He'll never do it!" Julie spat.

"Shut up you! You're makin' me angry." Alex said as he spun the barrel to his revolver with his thumb.

"You don't know Jack. He'll kill you, I know he will!" Julie said as Alex snarled.

"Another word and I will kill you first!" Alex grumbled. Soon they heard the squeal of car tires and sure enough, Jack's car rolled around the corner and into the warehouse, coming to a stop near the entrance. Jack emerged from the passenger side and Franklin emerged from the driver's seat. They slowly started to approach, Franklin with the book in his hand and Jack looking a bit ragged for reasons unknown. There was an unnatural red glow in his eyes too.

"So ya decide to come after all, boyo. So glad we could meet like gentlemen after all." Alex said as he stood up from his chair, kicking it out of the way as he pointed the gun at them.

"Let her go, McMillan, if that's even your real name." Jack said as Alex cocked his head to one side with a smug smirk across his face.

"I will once you've confirmed that the coordinates of Rapture are in the book and I have that book in me hands." Alex said as Franklin cracked open the book, flipping it to an empty page at the back and handing Jack a pen. He held the book in such a way that Jack never actually wrote anything. Franklin then closed the book and turned towards Alex.

"Here. Take this damn book. And may you choke on every word." Franklin said as he dropped the book and shoved it across the room with his foot up to Alex. Alex smiled as he put a cigarette in his mouth with his free hand and lit it with a sliver metal lighter.

"Thank you kindly, Dr. Stein. I've gotta say you're one loyal dad. I wonder what would happen if you started watching your little girl get burned to a crisp." Alex said as he tossed the cigarette towards the oil slick on the floor.

"NO!" Franklin yelped but suddenly the cigarette lurched away from the oil slick towards Jack who held his hand thrust out in front of him. He tossed the cigarette away from him and returned his glare to Alex.

"What in the-?" Alex asked as he aimed his gun at Jack.

"That won't do you any good." Jack said as the gun was almost magically ripped from Alex's hands and flew straight at Jack. Jack grabbed the gun in midair and aimed it at Alex. Alex quickly dove behind Julie, using her as a shield.

"I don't know what you just did, but whatever you do to me, you do to her!" Alex shouted as Jack stuck the gun in his belt.

"Julie, are you allergic to being stung by hornets?" Jack asked as Julie looked at him confused.

"Is now really the time to be asking about that Jack?" Julie asked as Jack rolled up his sleeves, revealing them starting to break out in hives and hornets starting to crawl around on the surface of his hands.

"Just thought I'd ask." Jack said as he thrust both hands forward, sending a swarm of hornets towards her. The hornets started stinging Alex who started swatting at the insects in a vain attempt to drive them off. Jack's hands instantly healed up and he thrust his left hand forward and Julie suddenly saw one of the oil barrels fly towards Jack before getting launched through the air straight at Alex who was still fighting the insect swarms. He quickly dropped to the ground in time to dodge the barrel but Jack grabbed another. He flung it at Alex who again dodged only narrowly. Finally the hornets dispersed and Alex turned his attention to Jack. He started charging towards Jack who merely clinched his fists. Alex delivered a fierce punch to Jack's stomach only for his blow to harmlessly bounce back and a sudden wave of electrical energy to burst outward from around Jack, knocking him to the ground. Jack grabbed Alex by the collar with one hand and effortlessly threw him almost halfway across the warehouse. Alex started to stagger up onto his feet.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" He yelled angrily. Jack's hand suddenly became charged with electrical energy.

"I'm a mere taste of what you'd find in Rapture!" Jack replied as he thrust the palm and bent fingers of his left hand towards Alex, striking him with a bolt of electricity, stunning the Red Pawn where he stood. Jack pulled out his trusty wrench, intent on delivering a final blow to the head but before he could, Alex had managed to grab his lighter and toss it onto the oil slick with a lit flame on it. The oil caught fire and Jack had to turn his attention away from Alex. He made a fist in his left hand, causing it to become coated in ice with tiny icicles. He was about to use the ice to try and put out the flames but Alex jumped him, knocking him to the floor and trying to strangle Jack. Jack snarled and punched Alex in the stomach, knocking him into the air. Jack's left had quickly gained a swirling white mist around his index and middle finger. He pointed at the ground where Alex would land and a small swirling whirlwind appeared. The second that Alex hit the whirlwind, he was knocked back into the air. Jack turned and attempted to freeze the ice again but it was no good. He had exhausted his EVE.

"Doctor! The hypo!" Jack yelled as Franklin reached into the car and grabbed another Hypodermic filled with EVE. Alex, having landed painfully, looked up and saw the doctor running towards Jack with the hypo. He quickly pulled a knife from his pocket and hurled it at Jack who managed to dodge but the knife hit one of the barrels, knocking it over and spilling out more oil onto the floor around Julie who was struggling to get free before the flames engulfed her. Jack snatched the hypo and injected himself, this time freezing Alex in place before freezing the slick beneath Julie.

"Doctor, get her out of here! He's mine!" Jack yelled as Franklin nodded and quickly started undoing the bindings. Jack pulled his wrench out again and was walking over to deliver a final blow to Alex when the conman broke free and charged into Jack, knocking him to the floor before grabbing the gun from Jack's belt. Jack grabbed Alex's wrist with his hand as he attempted to aim the gun towards him, crushing Alex's wrist with gene tonic enhanced strength.

"You will not keep me from Rapture!" Alex grunted as Jack butt him in the head, knocking the Irish conman off and onto his back. Jack ripped the gun from his hand and aimed it at him.

"I'm only going to tell you this once, Red Pawn. I don't care who you are, or what you want with Rapture. I'm going to let you live this time, but mark my words. If you ever show your face around my friends or my family ever again, I will send you to what Rapture truly is…I'll send you to hell." Jack said before freezing the conman in place again and then lowering the gun. Jack looked at the now empty and extinguished oil slick before igniting his hand in flames and snapping his fingers. In an instant the oil slick ignited again as Jack walked back to the car where Franklin was waiting with Julie unconscious from smoke inhalation in the back seat. Jack climbed into the passenger seat as Franklin started the car again and tore off back towards town. Alex finally thawed out again and climbed painfully to his feet. He glared angrily at the entrance to the warehouse where the car had disappeared. He looked and saw the warehouse was starting to catch fire. He then glanced at the ground and saw something that made him smile.

"At least I've got Rapture's coordinates now. Looks like Jeremiah Lynch is going to become a rich man after all." Alex said to himself as he picked up the book off the ground, quickly ran outside, flipped it open and scowled at what he saw written on the first page.

"_A man chooses, a slave obeys. I choose not to obey. I hope you choose to obey my next command. Leave and never return, would you kindly?" – Jack Ryan._

* * *

"Fraulein Stein? Can you hear me?"

Julie cracked her eyes open to find herself in an unfamiliar room. It was a simple room with white and faded red vertical pen stripes going up along the wall all around the room. She was in a single bed on the left side of the room. Another single bed sat on the opposite side of the room with a nightstand and lamp between the two beneath a window. On the opposite wall was an open door. The morning sunlight was streaming through the window, revealing Dr. Tenenbaum standing over her with a stethoscope around her neck.

"Ah, good. You're awake." Tenenbaum said as Julie grunted and attempted to sit up.

"What-…what happened?" She asked tiredly as Tenenbaum laid her back down.

"You mustn't move too much Fraulein Stein. I'm still not finished with you." Tenenbaum said.

"Dr. Tenenbaum? Where am I? Where's Jack?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum shushed her gently.

"Relax Fraulein; you're in the home of Herr Ryan. He's alright; he's only taken to his bed for the moment." Tenenbaum said as Julie relaxed noticeably.

"Jack's house? Then, what about his book? What about Rapture? Did Alex get it?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum shook her head.

"No. Herr Ryan gave him a fake. He doesn't have Rapture's location. He's back at square one. And if he knows what's good for him, he'll leave and never come back." Tenenbaum said as Julie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's good. What about my father? Is he alright?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum smiled.

"Yes, Fraulein. He's alright. He's keeping an eye on the little ones." Tenenbaum said.

"The girls? But shouldn't they be in school? It's a Thursday after all." Julie said as Tenenbaum chuckled.

"Herr Ryan said that for safety sake, they'd stay home today. They'll go back tomorrow." Tenenbaum said as Julie smiled.

"I can't believe he did all that to save my life. Last time we spoke, he hated me and said he didn't trust me." Julie said with a sigh.

"I never said I hated you."

They turned and saw Jack standing in the doorway, sweating slightly with an icepack on his head.

"What happened to you?" Julie asked as Jack staggered inside. Tenenbaum helped him sit down on the opposite bed.

"ADAM withdrawal. It's not as bad as the first time I went through it two years ago." Jack said as Julie furrowed her eyebrow.

"Adam? The thing the girls talk about?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"Yes. It's the substance that essentially brought about Rapture's demise as a utopia. It allows for something called Splicing. You saw a sample of what Splicing can do to someone, but constant Splicing causes someone to lose their sanity." Jack explained as Tenenbaum sat next to him.

"I discovered it." Tenenbaum said as Jack nodded.

"Yes, she did. ADAM is produced by a small sea slug but on its own it doesn't produce enough to mass market. That's where the girls came in. They were each embedded with a slug in the lining of their stomachs, allowing them to produce large quantities of ADAM." Jack explained, receiving a horrified look from Julie.

"What? You put slugs into your little girls just to feed your addiction?" Julie asked as Jack groaned and slapped his face with the palm of his hand.

"No, Julie. I wasn't the one who benefited from the ADAM in their systems. The slugs inside of my girls have been killed and produce only miniscule amounts of ADAM that the girls absorb naturally." Jack said as Julie realized something.

"Wait, why are you telling me all this? I thought you said you didn't trust me?" Julie said as Jack sighed.

"A man chooses, a slave obeys. A man forgives, a slave condemns. A man learns, a slave ignores. A man loves, a slave hates. A man is humble, a slave is arrogant. A man chooses…a slave obeys. I was a slave once, a slave to my own mind. I was born in Rapture. The son of Andrew Ryan and Mary-Catherine Jolene, or, as she was more commonly known, Jasmine Jolene. But I was not born to them. Instead I was born in some other fashion. In 1956, I was born, my growth genetically accelerated then stopped once I reached a specific age. I was then given a series of commands that if ever uttered by someone other than myself, it could control my every action or even stop my heart if necessary. Would you kindly. A phrase I so very much despise. It was that phrase that controlled me." Jack explained as Julie listened carefully.

"Doctor Tenenbaum, the woman who has cared for me for practically my entire life, helped to rid me of that mental conditioning. But by the time she did that, it was too late. Using that phrase, my father, Andrew Ryan, ordered me to kill him. I had no choice but to obey. I was a slave and I watched in horror as the slave killed the man." Jack explained.

"But…what about your mother?" Julie asked still shocked from Jack's story.

"She was killed, before I was even born. She had sold me as an embryo to Dr. Tenenbaum, who was working for my other father, a gangster named Frank Fontaine. He had me bred to be his ace in the hole in case his gambit to take control of Rapture from my father failed. Inevitably it did. He had me shipped to the surface somehow and when he sent me the proper message, I booked a flight on an Apollo Airways flight, one that disappeared off the coast of Iceland." Jack explained.

"I heard about that flight, they said that they found its wreckage drifting in the ocean. How did you survive?" Julie asked as Jack sighed.

"I don't know how I survived exactly, but I do know that I'm the one who brought it down, all thanks to that damned command phrase, would you kindly. The plane crashed near a lighthouse, Rapture's only visible link on the surface, and from there I traveled down to Rapture for, what I assumed was, the first time. Once there, a man named Atlas guided me through the city, under the pretence of helping him rescue his wife and son and escape from Rapture. But my father intervened and destroyed the submarine, supposedly killing Atlas's family. Atlas and I then worked together to bring down my father and when I finally did kill him, Atlas turned out to be the same man who had me created in the first place. Frank Fontaine." Jack explained.

"What happened then?" Julie asked.

"Doctor Tenenbaum helped me remove the mental conditioning and then I went after Fontaine. All throughout my journey, I had encountered little girls traveling with large lumbering men in bulky diving suits. The girls were known as Little Sisters and the men were known as Big Daddies. Tenenbaum gave me a special plasmid, the genetic weapons I used against the Red Pawn, and killed the slug within the girls without harming them, thus rescuing them from their life of grim existence. I had to kill their Big Daddy guardian every time though. In order to get to Fontaine, I had to fool the saved Little Sisters into thinking I was a Big Daddy, and to do that I needed to look like, smell like,…and even sound like a Big Daddy. That's why I have such a putrid stench and why my voice sounds this way now." Jack explained.

"But what about Fontaine?" Julie asked.

"I killed him. I managed to drain his body of all the ADAM within his system, but he knocked me to the floor. He was going to try and kill me but five former Little Sisters intervened, stabbing and killing him with the special syringes they used to extract ADAM from the corpses around Rapture." Jack explained as Julie realized what this meant.

"So the five girls…they're your daughters now?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"So then, if you don't trust me, then, why are you telling me all this?" Julie asked as Jack took a deep breath.

"Because…I could never hate you. I just can't. Even when I was angry, I couldn't hate you. Your father told me something yesterday that he should probably tell you. You'll know why I trust you once again. I want to give us another chance, a chance to learn, to find love, to live. Take this chance with me Julie. Would you kindly?" Jack asked as Julie smiled tearfully.

"Of course I will Jack. Of course I will."

* * *

**End Chapter 10.**

A/N: Yes that was Jeremiah Lynch from "There's Something in the Sea," only going under an alias. When I developed his alias, I unintentionally made him a publicist, not realizing that Lynch himself was an author which was ironic. I only found out after the fact while surfing the Bioshock wiki.


	11. Life Goes On

**July 1965**

Jack and Julie's relationship was mended from that point on and Jack shared his story with Franklin as well. However because Red Pawn was still out there, just waiting for Franklin to reveal what he found to the other Pawns they decided to keep it secret. Jack continued writing and eventually finished his book. However due to the threat of the Red Pawn, he decided to hold off on submitting it for publication and locked the edited, typed, and finished final draft in his safe with his guns, ammunition, and remaining EVE hypos.

Ryan Vendors Inc. grew so large in the five years since its creation that they had expanded to nearly the entire eastern seaboard. They were producing the Circus of Values machines from scratch now, having bought out the company that manufactured the old cigarette machines. They now had a brand new corporate office building downtown, the Andrew Ryan Memorial Building, and then restored and expanded the entire old school building into a newer, larger, and finer school since they got the original vending machine factory in the buyout. Jack was particularly pleased in that he didn't have to fire a single person during the buyout; in fact he had to hire more people. Jack raised his salary just so it dealt with his taxes and any essential goods plus about an thousand extra a month for any extras.

Jack and Julie's relationship had blossomed back into a full romance, although there were still some trust issues to work out. What started out as simply an intended friendship eventually turned into a mutual love for the other after only a year. Soon the rumor mills began spinning that North Carolina's "most eligible bachelor" would tie the knot with Julie but there really wasn't that much truth to the rumors.

The girls were now eleven years old and in middle school. Becky had gained a fondness for music and theater while making excellent grades in writing and English. Suzy was excelling in writing and history. Brigid, like her namesake, excelled in math and science with a particular interest in biology. Masha was the athlete of the group, excelling in gym and physical education. Amy however was the rebel of them but maintained good grades until recently, a fact which concerned Jack, Tenenbaum, and even Julie. Jack sat in his chair at home, reading Amy's latest report card. Straight Cs except for one B in math. Jack lowered the report card and gave the brunette standing before him a concerned look.

"Why, Amy? What's the problem?" Jack asked. He was looking even more like Andrew Ryan now but his voice was still the same. Tenenbaum sat in a wooden rocking chair in the corner that was once the girl's drawing table. The other girls were all outside with Julie in the garden.

"Nothing's the matter, dad." Amy mumbled.

"Something's definitely wrong, Amy. You haven't made a C sense that one report card in the third grade. Now you're making them repeatedly. If there's something wrong you can tell me, Amy. I'm your father; I can help make it right." Jack said as Amy looked at the floor.

"Nothing's wrong, dad." Amy said.

"Then why can't you look me in the eye and tell me?" Jack asked. Julie had taught him to read people for deception.

"Because you'll get mad at me." Amy replied.

"Now why would I be mad at you? Amy, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're having problems, there's no shame in admitting you need help. Do you think that I don't ask for help?" Jack asked as Amy nodded.

"You don't need help with anything. You're a genius and you're good at everything." Amy said as Jack shook his head.

"You're wrong, Amy. I need as much help as the next guy. Ask me a history question, Amy. Go ahead, ask me." Jack said as Amy shrugged and thought.

"Who built the panama canal?" She asked as Jack furrowed his brow. He genuinely didn't know the answer.

"I don't know. Who built the panama canal?" Jack asked. Amy scoffed.

"Come on, dad, don't play dumb." Amy groaned.

"I'm serious. The only history I know at all is the history of where the both of us were born. I only know the history of Rapture. I know some basic history tidbits like, George Washington was the first president of the United States. That Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. That Sputnik is the first manmade object in space. There is so much that I don't know about the world that you have the opportunity to learn in my stead. Just because I can use a wrench or run a business, doesn't mean that I'm perfect." Jack said as Amy sighed. Jack then lifted her chin, to look at him as he gave her a warm smile.

"There is no perfect man on this earth, no not even one. It's in God's bible. Man makes mistakes, and if man does not learn from these mistakes, then the great chain slips in our grasp. Andrew Ryan, my father, said that." Jack said.

"I thought you hated your father?" Amy asked curiously.

"I don't like what he became. I never had a chance to know him but he is my father and he was an intelligent man. For that, I respect him." Jack said as Amy looked convinced.

"But what about my grades?" Amy asked as Jack smiled.

"You have me, Doctor Tenenbaum, Miss Julie, and even your sisters who can help you when you need it. You need only ask." Jack said.

"Well, alright then." Amy said as Jack smiled and kissed her on the forehead before letting her go. Amy walked out the door where both the Hard Hat diving suit and the Rosie Big Daddy diving suit stood on either side of the door. Julie passed her by on her way in.

"What was that about?" Julie asked, taking off a pair of gardening gloves.

"Oh we were just having a chat about her grades. I think she's going to try and do better." Jack said as he stood up and kissed Julie on the lips.

"What did she say was wrong?" Julie asked as Jack paused for a moment and then scowled.

"Oh that girl is an excellent tap dancer. She managed to sideline my question to what the problem is." Jack said as Tenenbaum burst out laughing.

"I was wondering if you would notice!" Tenenbaum cackled.

"Lousy-know-it-all-kraut." Jack mumbled under his breath as Julie chuckled.

"Well, good news for you then. I managed to find out what it is." Julie said as she sat down on the couch.

"Really? How?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well, while you talked with Amy, I talked with the other girls and they said that the reason she's getting those grades is that she doesn't pay any attention in her classes except for Math." Julie said as Jack arched an eyebrow.

"Really? Did they say why?" Jack asked as Julie smiled gleefully.

"Mmm-hmm, it's because of a certain student who happens to be in every class but math. A student named Richard Felder." Julie said as Jack and Tenenbaum looked at each other for a moment and then both let out an understanding…

"Ohhhhhhhhhh! A boy!" They both said in unison.

"So that explains it. She's got herself a crush on a boy! That makes perfect sense." Jack said with a laugh.

"Ah, young love." Tenenbaum said as Jack froze.

"Wait a sec…a boy? Oi just when I thought our troubles were over." Jack grumbled as he covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head.

"Why? What's wrong with Amy having a crush on a boy?" Julie asked, confused.

"Herr Ryan is probably assuming that this is going to bring up the issue of Rapture again." Tenenbaum said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well think about it. The boy and Amy start getting close and he eventually he learns that she's not from around here. If he learns that, then he might ask where she's from. She might slip up and say Rapture." Jack said.

"Herr Ryan, you're over complicating the situation. You also lack faith in your own daughter. From what I can tell, the girls understand now that Rapture is a closely guarded secret and that they would never divulge such a secret." Tenenbaum said as Julie nodded in agreement.

"I agree with Dr. Tenenbaum, Jack. The girls are by no means, stupid. They're very intelligent and surprisingly mature for their age-…" Julie said but was interrupted by Tenenbaum.

"That's probably a side effect of all the ADAM they've ingested." Tenenbaum said as Jack rolled his eyes.

"Rapture's best and brightest men and women, hooked on ADAM, die, have the ADAM extracted from them and ingested by the Little Sisters. And since ADAM contains the memories of the people it's extracted from, it seems only natural that their intelligence gets carried along as well." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"Looks like all that time wandering through Rapture and listening to all those diaries paid off." Tenenbaum said with a chuckle.

"Not to mention the fact that I occasionally glance at your notes." Jack said, earning a glare from Julie.

"Jack, you read her diary?" Julie asked, her arms crossed. Tenenbaum simply laughed.

"Well, normally I would be offended by the notion, but considering I did give Herr Ryan leave to read my notes on ADAM research…eh, not so much." Tenenbaum chuckled again, causing Julie to blush from embarrassment.

"I think I jumped the gun again, didn't I?" Julie asked sheepishly.

"Just a little." Jack laughed as he headed for the kitchen, leaving Tenenbaum and Julie alone in the den.

"So…hey what did you mean by "listening to all those diaries?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum leaned back in her chair.

"Oh those? Well in Rapture we had audio devices that allowed us to record voices or sounds as audio diaries or messages for other people. Accu-Vox brand audio recorders. Hmph, a subsidiary of Fontaine Futuristics. Herr Ryan has all of the diaries he collected in Rapture in his room." Tenenbaum explained.

"Really? I'd like to hear those someday. I know my father would too." Julie said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"You would have to speak with Herr Ryan about that." Tenenbaum said as Jack walked back in with a tray in hand and three cups of coffee on it.

"The Audio Diaries? Sure, just as long as they don't leave the house." Jack said as the women each took a cup off the tray, leaving one left for Jack who took his and headed out towards the front door.

"Well there's your answer." Tenenbaum said as Julie sat down in Jack's chair.

"So tell me, and this is just my own curiosity, but what exactly happened to all of the girls that became Little Sisters?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum gave a sad sigh.

"Well, most of them left with me and went to the surface. I spent the first three months trying to find orphanages for them where they would be taken in. The others…(Sigh) I don't even want to think about it. It pains me to think of what might have happened to all of the little ones who were never rescued and what's happened to them. I even wonder about what will happen to them as they grow older with all that ADAM in their systems. It's a little…concerning." Tenenbaum said with a furrowed brow as she glanced at a photograph on the wall of her, Jack, and the girls outside the house.

"Well surely nothing will happen to Jack's girls right? The ADAM slugs are dead so they don't produce nearly as much ADAM anymore right?" Julie asked as Tenenbaum nodded.

"Perhaps but, I still wonder." Tenenbaum said as she continued rocking in her chair in thought. Their silence was interrupted by a commotion outside. They quickly scrambled to the door, opened it and saw one of the girls, Masha, lying on the ground in the fetal position with her hands on her head, convulsing while screaming in agony. The other girls were hiding behind Jack in fear of what was happening to their sister.

"What in the-?" Julie asked as she attempted to intervene but Jack stopped her.

"STAY BACK!" He ordered. Julie was about to argue but then she saw why. Masha's hands were glowing as if on fire.

"It's the left over plasmids, they're spontaneously activating!" Tenenbaum said as Jack took out a small syringe full of EVE and injected himself, feeling a small bite from his own plasmids and tonics reactivating. He quickly ran towards Masha, scooped her up in his arms, and hurried to the fenced in backyard. The girls, Julie, and Tenenbaum followed after them, Tenenbaum running into the house to fetch her medical bag and an extra EVE Hypo just in case. Jack in the meantime, set a still screaming Masha down on the grass in the middle of the yard.

"Masha, hang on, we're going to find out what's happening!" Jack exclaimed as Masha grabbed his arm, the flames from an Incinerate, lightly singeing the hair on his arms, but luckily he had Armored Shell that protected him. He also had the presence of mind to roll up his shirt sleeves.

"Daddy! I'm scared! What's happening to me?" Masha asked tearfully as she stopped convulsing for a moment.

"We're going to find out honey." Jack said as Tenenbaum burst out the back door.

"Doc, any ideas?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum dropped to her knees.

"I have a theory! I think the ADAM in her system is having a negative reaction from the hormones in her body!" Tenenbaum replied as she filled a syringe with a tranquilizer.

"How is that having an effect?" Jack asked confused.

"Puberty Herr Ryan! Her hormones are causing the otherwise dormant plasmids and tonics in her body to activate!" Tenenbaum explained. Before Jack could ask another question, Masha convulsed and let out an ear splitting shriek that sounded inhuman. The shriek caused the syringe in Tenenbaum's hand to shatter and the windows on the house to crack. Tenenbaum scrambled to find another syringe and quickly filled it with the tranquilizer again.

"But where would she get the plasmids and tonics in the first place?" Jack asked as he held her down long enough for Tenenbaum to inject the tranquilizer. Masha gasped in shock for a moment before falling unconscious.

"I'm sorry, say what?" Tenenbaum asked. Jack looked at her confused for a moment then signed to her his previous question.

"Ach! The shrieking deafened us! That's what happened!" Tenenbaum shouted as both she and Jack started messing with their ears to try and regain their hearing.

"I asked where she got the plasmids and tonics!" Jack signed to her.

"The ADAM she ingested as a Little Sister. All leftovers from the Civil War I believe." Tenenbaum signed back.

"Let's just hope the neighbors didn't hear anything." Julie mumbled.

"But look at what she did to the windows." Suzy said as she pointed at the house.

"Masha, please be alright." Rebecca whispered.

**…**

They had all gone inside immediately following the incident and Jack, Julie, and the other four girls were waiting in the Den as Tenenbaum gave Masha an examination in her room. Fortunately they didn't have to worry about the police since no one had called to report anything. Finally Tenenbaum emerged from the back, removing a pair of rubber gloves.

"Well I've managed to confirm our initial suspicions. It's all the ADAM in her system. It seems that she has begun puberty and the race of hormones caused an increase in her natural ADAM production which resulted in the plasmids and tonics to suddenly regain their potency all at the same time. I've sedated her at the moment and that's about all I can do." Tenenbaum explained.

"So the girls will all go through this once they hit puberty?" Jack asked, causing the girls to look at each other with worry.

"I believe it's very likely. I've never seen this before so I'm not sure of what we're dealing with. If only I was still in Rapture, then I could monitor them in a proper setting with state-of-the-art equipment. But I'll make do with what we have." Tenenbaum said as Jack rose from his chair.

"Tell me what you need, Doctor. I'll spare no expense to make sure you have what you need." Jack said but Tenenbaum shook her head.

"There's nothing that I need that we don't already have. I'm not worried about the girls here since they've been rescued from their curse. It's the little ones still in Rapture I worry about now. If this was an example of what happens when a former Little Sister hits puberty, then I fear for what's left of Rapture what would happen when the little ones who haven't been rescued hit puberty." Tenenbaum said with a shudder.

"Little Sister becomes a Big Sister." Jack said as he absently started twirling the syringe with a small amount of EVE in it between his fingers.

"I just hope they remain trapped in Rapture then. Maybe they'll do us all a favor and destroy it." Julie said.

"We can only hope." Jack said as he leaned back in thought.

"I just had a bad thought, daddy." Brigid said, earning the attention of the adults.

"What is it, Brigid?" Jack asked.

"What if…one of us has that happen…and we're at school?" Brigid asked, causing the three adults to pause.

"You know she's right. If that happens and another person sees them using the plasmids, then there would be people snooping into our business like you wouldn't believe." Jack said with a sigh.

"But what can we do? We can't just keep them home every day." Tenenbaum said.

"Well…actually, there is an alternative." Julie said, earning everyone's attention.

"There is?" Jack asked curiously.

"Homeschooling. They can be taught at home, in private, away from prying eyes." Julie said as Jack and Tenenbaum looked at each other.

"I'm not sure. First where would we find a teacher willing to do that for us? I can't do it, what with Ryan Vendors and all. Tenenbaum might be able to do it but-…" Jack said but was interrupted.

"Jack! I'm a teacher and I'm willing to do it!" Julie said, pointing to herself with both hands.

"And I'm not incompetent, Herr Ryan. I am a scientist and a doctor. I may have to leave Ryan Vendors but doing so would mean I'm on hand to care for the little ones when or if they have a similar episode." Tenenbaum said as Jack turned to Julie.

"What about your job? How will you explain your sudden absence?" Jack asked.

"I can simply say that…I got a better offer." Julie said as she moved in closer towards him and kissed him on the cheek.

"You think you can handle them?" He asked with a smile.

"Oh I think I can. I might not have ADAM in my system or know much about Rapture, but I can certainly do that." Julie said before Jack turned towards the girls.

"What about you? Do you think you could handle this?" Jack asked as he knelt down before them on one knee. The girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"We might not get to see our friends at school for a long time, but we'll survive." Rebecca said with a sigh.

"We're a family, and we know how important it is to you that we don't tell anyone about Rapture." Suzy added.

"We'll do our best, daddy." Brigid added.

"You can count on us." Amy said with a smile.

"Alright. Then I'm going to count on you girls. Masha too. I hate having to take you away from your friends but, please understand that, I'm doing this to protect not just ourselves, but others as well." Jack said as the girls nodded in unison.

"We understand Daddy." Rebecca said before the girls instinctively gave Jack a big group hug.

"Fraulein Stein, I hope you know what you're getting into." Tenenbaum chuckled as Julie smiled and replied…

"My eyes are wide open, Dr. Tenenbaum. They're wide open and I'm not afraid. In fact I feel like this is the easiest decision I've ever made."

* * *

**End Chapter 11.**


	12. For Whom the Bell Tolls

**December 1965**

It was only a few months later and by now, all the girls except Brigid had begun to undergo their ADAM enhanced puberty. The plasmids in their systems, for the most part, remained suppressed but when their time of the month came around…well, let's just say that Jack was forced to splice up again to keep his armored shell tonic active and so he could put out any fires caused by a rogue Incinerate or Electro Bolt Plasmid. He could also tell when one of them had entered that stage because one or more of the windows would be either cracked or shattered. The girls seemed to have a unique Plasmid each. For Masha it was Incinerate. For Suzy it was Cyclone Trap. For Rebecca it was Electro Bolt. And for Amy it was Winter Blast. They couldn't quite tell what gene tonics were active on them without a Gene Bank which they obviously didn't have. On the plus side, when Masha had another flare up, they put her Incinerate to good use, with her permission, and had a family barbeque, inviting Dr. Stein to the event as well. The girls had immediately been pulled out of school and were now being homeschooled by Julie who had submitted her two weeks' notice. Tenenbaum had taken over as teacher for the girls during that time. Jack, deciding to validate the "better offer" Julie had mentioned, decided to give her a fifty percent increase in the salary she initially got from the school.

Then it happened. One ordinary afternoon in early December, when Jack arrived home from Ryan Vendors with a large smile on his face. He walked through the front door and saw the girls in the dining room doing their homework under Tenenbaum's supervision. He noticed that Amy's left hand was rested on the table and covered in ice. Amy herself seemed to remain unconcerned of the situation.

"_Winter Blast eh? I just hope Brigid doesn't get a hypnotize Plasmid. Decoy is probably more preferable." _Jack said mentally. He then noticed a severe lack of a certain teacher. He knew she was there since her car was outside. He then saw her emerge from the bathroom, wringing out her hands from having just washed them.

"Oh, Jack, you're home." Julie said as she noticed Jack return.

"Ah, Julie, just the person I'm looking for." Jack said as he walked up to her.

"Oh? What for?" Julie asked as Jack smiled.

"I've been hungry for seafood lately and I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner at, oh say…the Olive Green?" Jack asked as Julie blinked with a smile.

"Just the two of us or is the whole family coming?" Julie asked.

"I was thinking just the two of us." Jack replied as he took her by the hand.

"Oh but what about the girls and Dr. Tenenbaum? Won't they be hungry?" Julie asked before she heard a scoff come from the German scientist in question.

"Fraulein Stein, we will be fine. I can cook you know." Tenenbaum said as she leaned against the doorframe between the dining room and the den.

"Her sauerkraut is amazing." Jack added, almost drooling at the thought of it.

"Well, alright. I don't see why not. I'll go home and change into something more suitable then." Julie said as she headed for the front door but Jack stopped her.

"What's wrong with what you have on now?" Jack asked. She was in a simple sky blue house frock with black lining around the neck and short sleeve cuffs. She had been wearing her hair in a bun again.

"Well…I suppose this could work. But it's the Olive Green. I need to look my best at a place like that." Julie said as Jack shrugged.

"You always look your best." Jack said with a smile, causing Julie to giggle.

"Jack you flatterer. I'm going home to change. I'll be ready at six." Julie said as Jack checked his watch. It was only four fifty.

"Alright then. I'll pick you up at your place." Jack said as Julie nodded and walked out of the house. As soon as the door had shut behind her, Jack and Tenenbaum both exchanged knowing looks.

"Do you think she suspects anything?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum shook her head.

"Not in the slightest." Tenenbaum said as Jack straightened his jacket with a smile and headed to his room.

"Mama Tenenbaum, what's Daddy talking about?" Suzy asked as the other girls glanced towards her.

"Oh, that's a secret to wait until later tonight, little ones." Tenenbaum replied as she headed into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.

"Secret? What sort of secret?" Brigid asked curiously.

"I dunno." Rebecca said with a shrug.

"Maybe Daddy's going to ask Miss Julie to marry him." Masha said as she hugged herself.

"Don't be silly. Daddy's not doing that. It's just dinner. He probably got her some fancy jewelry or something." Amy said, glancing at her frozen arm occasionally. She then grabbed a walnut from a bowl in the center and crushed it open with her frozen hand on the table.

"Amelia! What did I tell you about cracking nuts at the table?" Tenenbaum scolded from the kitchen.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked in amazement.

"Two things. One you are the only one with an active Plasmid right now and two, you confessed just now." Tenenbaum replied.

"Oh…stupid ADAM." Amy mumbled to herself as she munched down on the walnut. Masha then grabbed a walnut from the bowl and smashed it in her bare hand.

"Wow, Masha, how did you do that?" Rebecca asked curiously.

"It's probably the ADAM." Brigid said as she munched on the nut.

"Little ones, could you set the table please?" Tenenbaum asked, causing the girls to scramble to comply.

* * *

**Later…**

At the Olive Green, Jack and Julie were seated at the exact same table as their first date five years ago. The piano player in the corner was playing his usual slow dance tunes.

"Mmm the crab alfredo is exquisite." Julie said with a delighted smile as she set down her fork next to a now empty plate. She wore almost the exact same outfit she wore on their first date. Jack however was dressed in a black business suit with red carnation.

"Indeed it is. I can honestly say that this has been quite a pleasant evening." Jack said as Julie nodded in agreement while taking a sip of wine. She then slid her seat backwards.

"It certainly has been." She said, standing up.

"Is everything alright?" Jack asked as Julie nodded.

"Yes, I just need to go visit the powder room for a moment. I'll be right back." Julie said as Jack smiled and nodded. As soon as she was out of sight, he motioned for the waiter.

"Is everything ready?" Jack asked the waiter.

"Yes sir, a bottle of champagne has been specially chilled in the back. The piano man has also been preparing the special song you requested that will act as our signal to bring the champagne to your table." The waiter replied as Jack grinned.

"Good. Does the piano man know to begin when I put some money in his tip jar?" Jack asked as the waiter nodded.

"Yes sir. The manager made sure to review the strategy with the whole staff before we opened tonight." The waiter said as Jack grinned again and took a deep breath.

"Good man, good man. Best be off with you before she comes back." Jack said as the waiter nodded and scurried off to the back with a giddy smile. Jack glanced back at the piano where the pianist sat playing a nice slow melody. Jack then glanced back towards the front just as Julie came walking back to the table.

"Ah, that's better. So what were you thinking about for dessert?" Julie asked but Jack remained silent, his eyes shut as if listening to the music.

"Jack?" Julie asked concerned.

"You know something. I don't think I'll be able to eat dessert tonight." Jack said, earning an analyzing glare from Julie.

"Okay, what's your scheme, Ryan?" Julie asked as Jack chuckled.

"Ah, you didn't let me finish. I wouldn't be able to eat dessert tonight, unless you wouldn't mind sharing this dance with me?" Jack asked as Julie smiled ear to ear, extending her hand to him.

"I'd love to." She said as they walked to the dance floor. They began a slow dance but Jack meticulously started leading her towards the piano.

"Jack what are you doing?" Julie asked.

"I thought I'd tip the piano man." Jack said as he pulled a rolled up twenty from his sleeve. He then dropped the twenty in the cup as they passed. Jack and the piano man exchanged nods and the music swiftly transitioned into La Mer.

"Hmm, now that's an odd change of tune. I've never heard anyone go from Night and Day to Beyond the Sea so swiftly before." Julie said as Jack chuckled, smiling wide. He then noticed the waiter bringing the champagne to their table with two glasses and a champagne bucket.

"Well, I thought the occasion warranted a change to an appropriate tune." Jack said, causing Julie to give him a suspicious look while still smiling.

"Jack Ryan, what are you planning?" Julie asked as Jack shrugged.

"Oh…I'm just remembering what we drank a toast to on our first date was all." Jack said as Julie furrowed her brow.

"Chance?" she asked curiously.

"A chance to learn. A chance to find love. A chance to live. I can honestly say in the past five years, that I've learned to love and to live. Due in no small part to you. Ever since that incident two years ago with Alex, I knew that I could never stop loving you. I told my girls once that the six of us had given each other that chance. Rebecca, Suzanna, Amelia, Masha, Brigid, even Tenenbaum…we consider each other as one family. In recent years, we've also grown to consider you as a part of the family. I have a question to ask you, Julie Marie Stein. Do you want to make it official? Or, as the question is more correctly asked…" Jack said before he dropped to one knee and produced a small red felt box. Julie's expression was one of stunned shock and disbelief as he opened the box, revealing a beautiful twenty four karat gold ring with a white diamond stud in the center.

"Julie Marie Stein…will you marry me?" Jack asked with a hopeful smile. Julie was in shock, cupping her hands over her nose and mouth in disbelief.

"Oh my…" she whispered, not knowing what to say. Around them, the dancers had come to a standstill and practically the entire restaurant's attention was focused on them, waiting for an answer.

"Wh-what?" she stuttered in shock. Jack remained on one knee, the smile still on his face. She looked at the ring and at him and her heart fluttered.

"Yes…without a doubt, YES!" She said as she hoisted him onto his feet and kissed him on the lips. The onlookers clapped and cheered.

"Congratulations!" they heard a familiar voice call. They glanced and saw Dick Mycroft and his wife Rosetta amongst the crowd.

"You planned all this didn't you?" Julie asked as Jack smiled.

"I made some calls yes." Jack said as he slipped the ring on her finger before leading her to the table.

"Well, how does it feel to know that you will one day soon become Mrs. Jonathan Ryan?" Jack asked as Julie beamed at him.

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Too bad my father couldn't be here to see this." Julie said as Jack chuckled.

"Oh that's not to say he didn't already know about it." Jack said as the waiter came back over and started pouring the champagne into their glasses.

"He knew?" Julie asked with a smile.

"I asked him just last week. His words to me were, and I quote, "I wouldn't have anyone else or anyone better for my daughter but you." Jack said as Julie smiled and chuckled.

"That's my father alright." She said.

"So when do you want to have the wedding?" Jack asked as Julie shrugged.

"Well, anywhere between a few months and a year will do. Can we get your girls to be the flower girls?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"Oh definitely. They'll be ecstatic. I let Tenenbaum in on the plan too." Jack said as he raised his glass in a toast.

"I imagine so." She said raising her glass.

"To the Ryan family. May it always remain well above water, and continue to remain healthy and happy throughout the years." Jack said before they tapped glasses together and drank a sip.

"I've got another toast in mind if you'd be willing to indulge me." Jack said as Julie chuckled and nodded.

"Of course." Julie said as she and Jack both raised their glasses again.

"To the New Year. 1966. May it be our finest year, along with every year after that." Jack said as they again tapped their glasses together and drank a sip. Then a waiter approached them.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, especially considering the joyous occasion, but there is a call for you in the front, Mr. Ryan." The waiter said as Jack arched a curious eyebrow.

"Who is it from? Wait, don't tell me, a woman with a German accent asking for Herr Ryan, right?" Jack asked but the waiter paused.

"Uh, no sir, it's from a gentleman identifying himself as one Doctor Franklin Stein." The waiter replied as Julie's eyes lit up.

"I imagine he's calling to hear what my answer was." Julie said with a smile as Jack smiled back.

"Thank you, we'll both take the call." Jack said as they headed to the front where a black telephone sat lying off the hook. The woman behind the counter directed Jack to the phone.

"He's been waiting for you, Mr. Ryan." The woman said as Jack picked up the phone, mouthing a thank you to her.

"Yes, Hello Doctor, in case you're wondering the answer was yes. You're talking to your future son-in-law." Jack chuckled as he held the phone between both his left ear and Julie's right ear, although she had removed her earring.

"_Well ain't that a kick in the head, Boyo. Not what I was expectin' to hear when I called ya." _A chillingly familiar Irish voice said from the other end. Jack and Julie's eyes both widened in shock at the voice.

"Alex!" Jack hissed angrily, clinching his fist.

"_Right ya are boyo. Just thought I'd give ya a ring to see how the lovely little Miss Stein was fairin' after what all happened. So glad to hear she's still breathin'…which is more than I can say for a certain member of the medical community."_ Alex said with a chuckle. Julie however put her hands to her face in shock.

"No." she gasped. By now Jack had grabbed a piece of paper off the front desk and was writing something down.

"You better be pulling my leg, Alex." Jack growled. He finished writing on the paper but held onto it.

"_Oh I assure you, I'm not jokin'. This is just my way of remindin' you that no one is findin' Rapture before me. To emphasize that point, I've gone about removin' the one man from the equation, besides you, that knew the location of Rapture. Whether or not he really knew anythin' about its location remains to be seen. I'll be in touch boyo, oh, and congratulations on your engagement."_ Alex said with a laugh before a click and the dial tone was heard. Jack growled as he slammed down the receiver and handed the woman at the front desk the note.

"Miss, I need you to follow the instructions on this note to the letter. It's a matter of life or death!" Jack said as he ran back into the dining room to grab his jacket where his car keys were. The woman behind the desk opened the note and read it, realizing it was a note for her to call 911 and direct them to the address for Julie's father.

* * *

**A week later…**

The girls and Tenenbaum walked through the front door of the house, dressed in black, all quiet. They were soon followed by Jack with a grieving Julie close behind with his arms around her.

"Little ones, will you set the table, please, and then get washed up for dinner?" Tenenbaum asked softly as the girls quickly moved to comply as Tenenbaum walked into the kitchen, leaving Jack and Julie alone on the couch. Julie simply sat quietly on the couch, staring at nothing in particular near the ground.

"I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you, Julie. But I know there isn't." Jack said as he held her close. He looked at the calendar and saw the date. December 22, 1965. Three days before Christmas. Inside, he firmly believed that while it was a dark time in their lives, the future would only hold better things. He didn't realize exactly what the future would hold.

* * *

**End Chapter 12.**


	13. Abductions

1966 was a relatively good year, as Jack's toast had promised, despite the murder of Julie's father by Alexander McMillan, or Jeremiah Lynch as he was correctly known but none of them knew his real name. Much to their relief, Dr. Stein had never learned Rapture's true location but had instead forged a number of false clues to try and lead Lynch down the wrong path. Whether or not it had worked, remained unknown. However, good did come of it. At Julie's insistence, they decided to move ahead with the wedding plans and were married in June of that year. Jack & Julie chose to have their honeymoon in the Cayman Islands. Julie Ryan, as she was now known, continued to home school the girls who had, lovingly, started referring to her as Big Mommy, to which Jack insisted hers would be the Rosie diving suit while he'd be a Bouncer. Tenenbaum and the girls found it amusing but the joke was lost on poor Julie who didn't know much if anything at all about Big Daddies.

Realizing their house was now too small to house a family of eight (Jack, Julie, Tenenbaum, and the five girls) they decided to move into Julie's father's old house. Being an old plantation mansion, there were plenty of rooms available plus a small guest house that used to be a slave hovel before and during the civil war but was extensively renovated a few years ago. The guest house became Tenenbaum's home and private laboratory. An old barn out back also became Jack's private workshop. The upstairs of the mansion were mostly bedrooms, a master and two additional rooms. Jack and Julie, naturally took the Master suite while the girls doubled up in the two other rooms. The first floor had two guest rooms plus a large dining room, kitchen, library, living room, and a large porch that surrounded the house, complete with rocking chairs. Jack had wasted no time in placing the Rosie and Hard Hat diving suits on either side of the front doors inside, like at the old home. They had also discovered a secret room in the library where Franklin had a radio communications set up where he had remained in contact with I.O.O.P.

Amy also went through her ADAM Enhanced Puberty, gaining a Decoy Plasmid, much to her delight and the annoyance of her siblings since she'd use it to prank them endlessly. The girls themselves, having turned twelve in 1965 turned thirteen in 1966 and would turn fourteen in 1967. They had also discovered that for a period of about a week after their time of the month, that they still had enough ADAM in their systems to use the plasmids and tonics. Amy's grades had improved substantially with the absence of the boy that had caught her attention but they still maintained the social element by the occasional field trips to the zoo or other places. The Aquarium field trip was one that both Jack and Tenenbaum chose to go on. The girls were a little hesitant since it reminded them of Rapture, but then again, that was why Jack and Tenenbaum chose to go in the first place.

Ryan Vendors had continued to increase in size, now spanning to each of the adjoining states, it was a fast growing company and Jack was looking for new ways to expand it. He was considering on expanding to a new field of product aside from Vending Machines. Dick and Jean had remained on, although Jean had to take a few months maternity leave after she had gotten pregnant in 1962 with a little girl whom she named Samantha who was now four, almost five as of 1967. Jack was very careful to make sure everyone in the company was happy. His research into his Father, Andrew Ryan, had yielded an interesting set of beliefs. He believed that his workers were entitled to the sweat of their brow, yet he also understood the taxation of the people by the government. Regardless, he endeavored to make sure the employees got what they earned. General opinions of Jack's handling of the business were largely positive most of the departmental heads saying that he knew when to let things slide and when it was necessary to crack the whip.

Jack also began to assume that the issue with Rapture would be forgotten. He knew that Lynch was still out there, just waiting for his book to be published so he could try and find Rapture with the clues left in it. Jack meticulously kept away from the I.O.O.P. but Julie did send a message to them, informing them of her father's murder. Before they could all blink, New Years had come and gone and it was now 1967. The year started out nicely, the girls beginning their homeschooling again, Tenenbaum now able to return to Ryan Vendors since the girls no longer had the painful convulsions like Masha's from when they first entered puberty. But soon, the good year was about to turn dark and Rapture was about to rear its ugly head once more…

**March 23, 1967**

Jack sat in his office on the top floor of the Andrew Ryan Memorial building, the new headquarters of Ryan Vendors Inc. His office was simple, the desk facing towards a pair of double doors, two elegant sitting chairs facing the desk. His original Circus of Values machine in the corner and still in working order although rigged to dispense everything for free (he called it hacked), with a photograph of Andrew Ryan on one wall next to a photograph of the new Ryan family. He was currently filling out some of his regular paperwork as "It Had to Be You" played on the phonograph when, without warning, Tenenbaum burst into his office, clutching a newspaper in her hand.

"Herr Ryan! The news! Have you seen the news?!" She asked eagerly.

"No, not yet. Why? What's the matter Doc, you look pale?" Jack asked. Tenenbaum was about to speak but she paused and closed the doors to his office, locking them and then approaching his desk and handing him the paper.

"Another kidnapping, Herr Ryan! It's another one!" Tenenbaum exclaimed worriedly as Jack looked at the crumpled paper and saw a circled article that detailed the kidnapping of Ulrike Moeller, a young girl from Germany. Tenenbaum had circled the article.

"Um…as sad as this is, Doc, what am I to make of this?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum sighed in frustration.

"It's not the first one that's occurred, Herr Ryan! It's not the first little girl that's been kidnapped! There have been others, similar age and all girls. Not to mention that I've looked at a map and have traced where all of the cities and locations of the kidnappings have occurred. All of them coastal towns and cities on the western seaboard of Europe, near where a certain city is located." Tenenbaum said as Jack leaned back in his chair deep in thought.

"All of this, at the moment, is coincidental. I'm not saying that I don't believe you, Doc, but what if that's all this is? A coincidence." Jack said but Tenenbaum shook her head.

"No, it's not that, Herr Ryan. I know it isn't. I've done some digging and I've learned that there have been sightings of apparent, "ghost lights" in the waters around where the kidnappings have occurred." Tenenbaum said as Jack furrowed his brow in suspicion.

"Alright…here's what we do. We wait for a month or two, and see if the kidnappings continue. If by the end of those months, the kidnappings have continued, then we'll decide what to do from there." Jack said as Tenenbaum nodded.

"We might want to face the possibility of my returning to Rapture. I still have my Bathysphere hidden away at an abandoned dockyard." Tenenbaum said.

"We might want to consider repairing it then. You haven't touched it in almost seven years, so we don't know what condition it might be in now. I can arrange to have it delivered to the house and I can work on it there in my spare time." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed and nodded.

"If anyone can work on it and fix it, it's you, Herr Ryan. You inherited your father's mechanical genius plus the genius of many of Rapture's brightest through the ADAM you spliced with. Let's go ahead and be working on the Bathysphere." Tenenbaum said as Jack leaned back in thought.

"Hmm…I just thought of something that needs doing. Would you excuse me for a moment?" Jack asked as he picked up his phone.

"I'll be out front if you need me, Herr Ryan." Tenenbaum said, leaving the newspaper with Jack as she left for her desk. Jack waited on the phone for a moment before someone answered.

"Hey, Jean, can I talk to you about something in my office…"

…

"No-no, nothing bad. I was wondering, do you and your daughter still live in that beach house?"

…

"Mmm hmm, well I remember you saying that it was in need of repairs, but I have a better idea. Why not just move into my old house in the suburbs?"

…

"No I own the place, lock stock and barrel. I don't need it anymore and it's got plenty of room for you and little Sammy to live in. Nice neighborhood, plenty of good schools in the area."

…

"The catch is that you need to move in immediately. I'll even flip the bill for your moving expenses."

…

"Let's just say that, it'll ease my conscience with you a little further inland."

…

"No-no, just a feeling is all. A very bad feeling."

…

"Just believe me when I say that, I'm looking out for you and Sammy's well being."

…

"Alright, we'll deal with the particulars over lunch. See you then. Bye." Jack said as he hung up the phone and took a sigh of relief. He then turned and glanced out his office window that faced the east, glaring determinedly at the sight of the marina in the distance.

"So…after six years…my past decides to show up again." Jack said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a small wooden case with the carved emblem of an apple on it. He opened the case, revealing two small syringes filled with EVE. He had found the case while honeymooning in the Cayman Islands as a simple jewelry case but he had personally modified it to hold the two syringes. He then sighed as he closed the case, pocketing it again.

"Let's just hope that this is only a coincidence." Jack said as he stood up and walked over towards the window.

* * *

**June 17, 1967.**

After having waited for a period of four months, the kidnappings had continued. All young girls from coastal towns and the sightings of "ghost lights" and "ghost subs" continued to be reported. Jack, true to his word, had Tenenbaum's bathysphere moved to the backyard of the house, hidden in an old barn as he worked on making sure it was in working order. The girls were eager to help, knowing full well what fate the kidnapped girls would face when they arrived in Rapture. Jack was hesitant to contact I.O.O.P. because he knew that Lynch would take it as the prime opportunity to find Rapture. As per his arrangement with Jean, she had moved into his old house and he transferred the deed to her, all as a precaution in case the kidnappings got closer to home. Sadly his initial fears that the kidnappings would spread closer to the United States were confirmed with the morning newspaper. Tenenbaum was drinking a mug of coffee in her house as she looked over some rough schematics that Jack had drawn up of the bathysphere when she heard a frantic pounding on the front door to her guest house.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! _What idiot is awake and energetic at this hour of the morning?"_ Tenenbaum grumbled in German. She opened the door and saw Jack, standing outside her door in a red house robe, clutching a newspaper.

"Doc, we've got trouble!" Jack said as he walked inside.

"Well there's my answer." Tenenbaum mumbled to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing. What sort of trouble is it, Herr Ryan?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack showed her the newspaper. She scanned through it until she reached an article, circled by Ryan, describing the latest kidnapping. A girl named Jennifer Walker, an American tourist, kidnapped from a holiday bungalow in Puerto Rico on Sunday night.

"The Kidnappings have reached the Eastern Seaboard and so have the ghost lights." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed heavily.

"Then what must we do?" Tenenbaum asked as she sat down.

"I'm stepping up the repairs on the bathysphere. We need to get it ready for our trip down to Rapture to find out what the devil is going on down there." Jack said as Tenenbaum paused.

"Wait, what do you mean, our trip?" Tenenbaum asked.

"I'm going too of course. I've got the genetic key and plenty of weaponry. Plus I've got my dormant Plasmids and gene tonics. I can move around Rapture, rescue the girls, deal with whoever's been kidnapping them, then set the whole damn place to self-destruct and be rid of the Rapture nightmare forever." Jack explained as Tenenbaum sighed.

"No, you can't go." Tenenbaum said, earning a confused glare from Jack.

"Give me one good reason why not." Jack said, his arms crossed.

"I'll give you six good reasons. Rebecca, Suzanna, Amelia, Brigid, Masha, and Julie. They need you here, Herr Ryan. They need you to stay with them. Besides, if I fail, we would need a…an ace in the hole." Tenenbaum said as Jack sighed.

"I see your point, but I still don't like you going alone." Jack said as Tenenbaum shrugged.

"It's the only choice we have in the matter." Tenenbaum said as Jack nodded. I understand. I best get dressed and get to work." Jack said as he walked out of the guest house, walking towards the main house. As he did, he heard the rumble of distant thunder. He looked up and saw the storm clouds gathering overhead. He continued on towards the house and walked inside, heading straight towards the library. He had kept the radio equipment set up so he could remain in contact with I.O.O.P. if necessary. He had also recently been keeping a list of the kidnapped girls along with where and when they were kidnapped. He sighed as he sat down and added the most recent poor girl's name to the list.

"Jack?" he heard. He turned and saw Julie, in her bed clothes under a white silk nightgown, but with a concerned look on her face.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Another girl was taken…only this time, in the Virgin Islands." Jack said. Julie sighed and glanced out the window.

"What can I do to help?" Julie asked.

"There's really nothing you can do. Tenenbaum's insistent that only she go to Rapture. I feel useless myself. I'm Andrew Ryan's son and I know what to do to destroy the city. I've just not done anything since I believed that the city would die on its own. Apparently, I was wrong as these kidnappings attest to." Jack said as he ran a hand over his face.

"Perhaps Doctor Tenenbaum can fix things. She survived in Rapture longer than you did, technically. She knows how to take care of herself." Julie said as Jack nodded.

"True…very true." Jack said as he stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to the staircase to head up to their room.

* * *

**Later…**

"Jack? Are you feeling alright?" Dick asked as he sat in Jack's office, across from Jack himself. Jack had been staring out the window towards the East.

"Hmm? What?" Jack asked, being pulled back to reality.

"You've been distracted lately. Something bothering you?" Dick asked as Jack sighed.

"Yeah, fine. I've just been a little concerned about something lately." Jack said as Dick arched an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Dick asked curiously.

"Dick, have you been reading the reports in the news about the kidnappings that have been occurring worldwide? The ones about the little girls getting kidnapped in Europe?" Jack asked as Dick furrowed his brow.

"I've heard about them. Haven't paid that much attention to them. Why?" He asked.

"They just concern me. I dunno if it's my parental instinct but the thought of those girls being kidnapped, without a trace of where they went is very…disturbing." Jack said, looking out again towards the East.

"Kidnappings…would this have anything to do with why you insisted that Jean move into your old house in the suburbs?" Dick asked curiously.

"Yes, it does. I've had this bad feeling ever since the kidnappings started, that something even worse was happening. I admit, there was some paranoia involved with my having Jean move to my old house, and my paranoia has been confirmed with the latest kidnapping in the Virgin Islands. In this instance, I hate being right." Jack said.

"But what makes you think that they're connected?" Dick asked.

"There's a pattern. The girls are all three to five years old, they live on coastal, beachfront properties, and they're always kidnapped in the dead of night. Plus the kidnapper seems to have been moving down from around the northern coast of Europe, moving around towards Spain, and just recently appeared again in the Virgin Islands. More still, there are always sightings of either ghost lights or ghost subs near where the most recent or future kidnapping occurs." Jack said as Dick sighed and ran a hand over his balding head.

"You noticed that pattern just by reading the paper?" Dick asked as Jack nodded.

"Tenenbaum was the first to bring it up a few months ago. I initially wanted to dismiss the claim as coincidence, but…with the kidnappings continuing and the sightings of those lights running concurrent with them…I'm positive there's a pattern to it." Jack said as Dick leaned back in thought.

"So there's a pattern to it, Jack. What can we do about it? We're just businessmen, Jack. We can't do anything like search the seven seas in search of where these girls are taken. We don't even know where they're being taken to and for what reason. Face it Jack, we're useless in this situation." Dick said as he checked his watch.

"I'm gonna be late for a meeting. I'll talk to you later, Jack." Dick said as he walked out of the office, leaving Jack alone. Once the door was shut behind him, Jack picked up his briefcase; the same one Tenenbaum had used to send him the documents on Fontaine's finances and the audio diary. He ran his hand over the Rapture Lighthouse symbol on the case.

"Dick…if only you knew even half of what I did. Perhaps then you would understand more easily." Jack said as he set down the briefcase and returned to work.

* * *

**End Chapter 13.**

A/N: Sorry for the long delay between uploads but my muse went other places for a while. Just letting you know now, in the future, there's going to be a long period of time where this story gets put on the back-burner while I work on a midquel to this story. Once that story's done, I'll come back to this one. I'm withholding any details of this story until a future chapter.


	14. Meltzer & Farewells

**October, 1967**

Months had passed and the Bathysphere still wasn't fixed. For Jack it seemed that for every one thing on it that was fixed, two more things would break. He was getting frustrated with the old machine and the continued kidnappings didn't make things any easier. It was a beautiful fall weekend morning, and Jack was hard at work trying to fix the Bathysphere. He was trying to mend a broken propeller motor on the port side while Tenenbaum tried to patch a potential leak in the hull. Just then, Amy entered the barn with the morning newspaper.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Amy shouted as she entered.

"Huh? What?" (Clang) "OW!" Jack groaned as he conked his head on the bathysphere.

"Ooh, sorry." Amy said sheepishly as she cringed.

"It's alright. It's not the first time this hunk of junk got the better of me, and it won't be the last. Another fine Rapture product. Anyway, what's the matter honey?" Jack asked as he sat up.

"Well, Mom found this in the newspaper and said you would want to see it." Amy said as Jack groaned and ran his hand over his face. He had grown to dread the newspaper since the kidnappings began.

"(Sigh) Who is it now?" He asked as he grabbed the newspaper and opened it to read about the latest victim. A girl named Cindy Meltzer, a six year old blonde from Long Island New York. Jack was almost immediately intrigued. He glanced at Amy curiously and then at the description of Cindy.

"Interesting." Jack said before he heard a metal clang and Tenenbaum start to curse in German.

"Hey, Doc, can you come here a moment?" Jack asked. Tenenbaum emerged from around the other side of the bathysphere, still muttering curses in German.

"What is it, Herr Ryan?" She asked as Jack stood up.

"To your recollection, haven't most of the kidnappings been of girls from three to five years old and mostly brunette?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum paused for a moment to think.

"Yes, that sounds right." She said as Jack raised the newspaper again.

"Then what do you make of the kidnapping of one, Cindy Meltzer, age six, with blond hair?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum arched a curious eyebrow.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Daddy, there's more there too." Amy said, pointing at the paper. Jack read on and found an interesting addition to the article.

"Hmm, Cindy Meltzer's father, Mark G. Meltzer has been a participating civilian investigator in the ongoing investigation into the disappearances; however his theories appear to be UFO based. Mark Meltzer has been admitted to Tollevue Mental Hospital in New York for psychiatric evaluation following questioning by police into his possible involvement in the kidnapping. Hmm." Jack said thoughtfully.

"Do you think he's on the trail of Rapture?" Tenenbaum asked as Jack pondered.

"I can't be sure. I'd have to know what his findings are first. But if anyone is to find Rapture, I sure hope it's him. I kinda wish I could help him out. But how can I without alerting the Red Pawn to Rapture's location?" Jack asked as he folded the newspaper.

"I doubt that there is a safe option, Herr Ryan. You can try and help Herr Meltzer and unintentionally give Rapture over to a man who wishes nothing but to plunder the secrets of the city for his own personal profit, or you can just hope and pray Herr Meltzer finds it on his own." Tenenbaum said as Jack nodded and looked at Amy who had obediently been standing nearby.

"I want to help. I can't imagine how he must feel right now, but I can't help him no matter how much I want to. But maybe, I can steer the right people in his direction." Jack said as an idea sprang to mind and he started walking quickly towards the house.

"What are you doing daddy?" Amy asked curiously.

"I'm going to go and see about putting Meltzer on the board with the rest of the pawns." Jack said with a determined smile.

* * *

With his own girls now fifteen years old, Jack was still keeping a sharp eye on the newspaper especially since the last girl kidnapped was Cindy Meltzer back in October of the previous year. Ryan Vendors by now had expanded to nearly the entire eastern seaboard and had even gotten its first overseas business. A chain of British service stations wanted a multipurpose vending machine and Ryan Vendors had the best deal of them all. Jack leapt at this opportunity and so the company expanded. However in July, Jack had finally finished repairs to the Bathysphere and Tenenbaum was anxious to leave for Rapture. Jack tried to put off her departure but finally relented…

**July 14, 1968**

Jack was driving a rented moving truck, with Tenenbaum in the passenger seat and with Julie and the girls following close behind in their VW Bus (for the people space considering the size of the family) as they made for the marina in the dead of night with the Bathysphere in the back of the truck. Jack had revitalized his Plasmids to make moving the Bathysphere into the water an easier job, and he had given Masha a small booster shot of EVE to revitalize her Gene tonics, since they had determined that she had inherited the Sports Boost Gene Tonic along with Armored Shell.

"Are you sure you won't let me go with you? My Plasmids and tonics won't do you any good if I'm up here on the surface." Jack said as Tenenbaum sighed and shook her head.

"I'm positive, Herr Ryan. Please don't make this any more difficult than it is already." Tenenbaum said as Jack sighed and maneuvered the truck so the back of it was facing the water. Once everyone was out of the vehicles, Jack and Masha went about pulling the Bathysphere out of the truck and putting it into the water, their combined and spliced strength being more than enough to hoist the heavy mini-sub and carry it down a boat ramp. Jack pulled open the front door to the Bathysphere once it was safe in the water and kept a hand on the inside so that the mini-sub wouldn't float away.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, mien little ones." Tenenbaum said, choking back a tear.

"Do you have to go, Mama Tenenbaum?" Brigid asked as Tenenbaum walked up and knelt down on one knee.

"I'm afraid so. I need to rescue the new little ones from Rapture. If I don't, I don't know who will. I promise, we will meet again one day." Tenenbaum said before the girls suddenly group hugged her.

"We'll miss you, Mama Tenenbaum, you know that right?" Suzy asked tearfully. Julie stood behind the girls, watching tearfully. Jack wanted to hand her a handkerchief but couldn't since he was still holding onto the bathysphere.

"And I'll miss you too, little ones. Though you're not so little anymore. You've all grown strong, tall, and very beautiful, each of you. I should thank all of you for giving me something I thought I had missed out on." Tenenbaum said with a smile.

"What's that?" Masha asked curiously.

"A chance." Tenenbaum said, intriguing Jack while confusing the girls.

"A chance? A chance for what?" Amy asked.

"A chance to know what it's like to be a mother. I know I may not be your real mother, but now you have a mother, one who loves you just as much, if not more. I know your father loves you more than anyone in this whole world, and I know that there are mothers and fathers out there right now, grieving their own lost little ones. I know the pain they feel right now, and I can't sit idly by and let them give up hope. If Herr Meltzer from New York refuses to give up hope, then perhaps there is a chance of giving those mothers and fathers grieving right now, a chance to have their little ones back. I want you each to make me a promise. Promise me that you will continue to learn, to love, and to live. Can you do that for me?" Tenenbaum asked as the girls nodded, Suzy, Amy, and Brigid even crossing their hearts. With that Tenenbaum smiled, kissed each of them on the cheek, then stood up and turned to Julie who smiled sadly.

"I don't think I've ever quite been able to call you anything other than Dr. Tenenbaum. Anything less seems wrong to me." Julie said with a tear in her eyes.

"Then let it stay simply, Tenenbaum." Tenenbaum said as she and Julie hugged like old friends.

"Take care of Herr Ryan and the little ones. Herr Ryan especially, he always needs someone looking out for him. I should know, I practically raised him." Tenenbaum chuckled along with Julie, albeit tearfully. Jack rolled his eyes at the statement.

"I'll take care of him. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine. If you need anything, just let us know." Julie said as Tenenbaum smiled and nodded before taking a deep breath and walking towards the bathysphere.

"Well…next stop, Rapture." Jack said as Tenenbaum smiled and nodded.

"I guess so." She said as Jack continued holding onto the bathysphere.

"I put all of my old Rapture cash in a…an appropriate package for you, along with my old research camera and plenty of film, plus all my old hack tools. I've also left you with some reading material slash toilet paper too. You've got plenty of food stuffs to last you over a month in there and I rekeyed the genetic lock on this particular Bathysphere to accept you and only you. If something happens to this one, then you've always got this." Jack said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Rapture genetic key and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Herr-…Thank you, Jack." Tenenbaum said with a tear. Jack took a deep breath, a tear running down his own face as well.

"I'm going to miss you more than you know, doc. You've been more than just a friend to me and the girls this past eight years, you've…you've essentially been my mother, as much as theirs." Jack said as Tenenbaum smiled and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek.

"And you've been like my own son. I just hope I'll make it back to see you and the little ones again." Tenenbaum said as Jack gave her an awkward look.

"Hope you make it back? You mean when you make it back." Jack said as Tenenbaum chuckled.

"Yes, that." She said before glancing into the Bathysphere.

"Well…I guess it's time." Tenenbaum said as Jack reached behind him and grabbed something.

"One more thing, just in case you run into any Splicers." Jack said as he pulled out his trusty wrench, handing it to her with a pink ribbon around it, tied in a bow.

"Just remember the ol' one-two punch." Jack said with his best Atlas impersonation, inspiring a small chuckle from Tenenbaum.

"I'll come back, Herr Ryan…I promise." Tenenbaum said as Jack smiled.

"Then let me make it official. Would you kindly come back when you're done?" Jack asked as Tenenbaum chuckled again and nodded.

"As if I were compelled to." She said as she stepped into the bathysphere. She took one last look out the still open door as Jack let go of the doorframe and joined the others on the dock. She then sighed heavily and pulled the lever behind her, causing the bathysphere door to close and the motor to start up. She took one last look out the front window as she saw her family disappearing as the sphere disappeared beneath the waves. She looked around and saw Jack's "appropriate packaging" for his send off gift. A teddy bear with a large green box with yellow ribbon on it. She opened the box and found five-hundred Rapture dollars, the camera, the hack tools, and a thick book. She removed the book and smiled at the cover. It was a simple green hardcover book with brown leather binding. Embalmed in gold on the cover was the title.

_Bioshock__  
A Genetically Engineered Thriller.  
By Jonathan Ryan._

She smiled with a chuckle as she opened the cover, and saw, hand written on the inside…

"_Would you kindly, be safe."_

* * *

**End Chapter 14.**

Short chapter, but I had to end this chapter here because anything else would seem pointless.


	15. Tenenbaum Oh Tenenbaum

**Christmas Eve, 1968.**

It was Christmas time in the Ryan household and the entire mansion's halls were rightly decked. And just in time too since Christmas Eve was the day of the annual Ryan Family Christmas Party. Jack had invited Dick and his wife along with Jean and her daughter. Dick's son, Michael, or Mike as he was better known, was also invited. Jack had extended the invitation to Julie's family, but her Sheriff's deputy uncle was all she had left, and he attended anyway, and had been annually since Jack and Julie's marriage. Jack was in his best suit as he, Dick, Jean, and Julie's uncle, Stephen, sat in the den. Stephen was almost the spitting image of Franklin but was several years younger and his hair had miraculously and naturally retained its hazelnut color.

"So then Jack here puts the kibosh on the whole situation and says in the immortal words of his father, Andrew Ryan, "that's not a parasite, that's my wife." Jean said with her best impersonation of Jack's voice, earning laughter from Dick and Stephen while Jack sat with a narrow eyed smirk, rapping his fingers on the arm of his chair.

"Jean, you're fired." Jack said with a sip of eggnog. He was being good humored naturally.

"Oh come on, Jack. She's just kidding." Dick said with a laugh as Jack nodded.

"I know." He said before he noticed what seemed to be a fireball fly by outside the windows. He then saw what looked like a bolt of lightning and he immediately knew what was going on. He was relieved by the fact that he was the only one facing the windows.

"Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to deal with something real quick." Jack said as he stormed out the door.

"MASHA! BECKY! FRONT AND CENTER!" He roared angrily, causing the two to immediately appear out from behind the bushes, both hiding their left hands behind their backs.

"Alright, what were you two thinking?" Jack asked with his arms crossed.

"Just trying to keep warm. Masha does have Incinerate after all." Becky said with an innocent grin.

"Are you daft? We have guests, and we can't afford to have people learning about the Plasmids." Jack said in a terse whisper.

"Tell that to Brigid." Masha said, glancing over her shoulder to see what appeared to be Brigid, sitting absolutely still on a stone bench as Sammy Rothschild kept plying her with various questions. Jack glanced around and saw what looked like a magazine sitting on a nearby tree stump, the pages turning themselves. They had discovered before Tenenbaum's departure that one of the tonics that Brigid had inherited was Natural Camouflage, so whenever she remained mostly stationary, she turned invisible. Jack scowled when he realized that Brigid was using a Decoy to fool poor Sammy.

"Do me a favor, distract Sammy, I'll deal with Brigid." Jack said as the girls scrambled to get in between Sammy and the Decoy Brigid while he stormed up towards the "magic magazine."

"Alright, Brigid, knock it off." Jack said as Brigid reappeared with an innocent grin on her face.

"I love you daddy." She squeaked, earning a narrow eyed smirk from Jack.

"And I love you too, that's why we have the no Plasmid or Tonic use in public rule." Jack said as Brigid stood up. Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw Suzy and Mike sitting on the porch in the porch swing, talking. Mike was a sophomore in high school while the girls were all freshmen. Jack had given thought to letting them attend an actual high school since they were more mature and at least Amy and Becky were more conservative with their plasmids.

"What do you think? Will he get a kiss or will he get stars and birdies?" Brigid asked as she noticed her sister with Mike.

"Preferably, neither." Jack mumbled as he glanced around but couldn't find Amy.

"Have you seen Amy anywhere?" Jack asked as Brigid nodded.

"Yeah, she's in with Mom and Mrs. Mycroft." Brigid replied as Jack nodded understandingly. He then felt a tugging on his pants leg and looked down to see Sammy Rothschild looking up at him. Sammy, now six years old, reminded Jack of the Little Sisters from Rapture in terms of appearance except she was blond…and completely clean in terms of genetic tampering.

"Mr. Ryan, what did you ask Santa for this year?" She asked as Jack smiled and took her by the hand.

"I asked for only one thing, Sammy. Come on, I'll show you what I asked for." Jack said as he led her into the house. He led her into the main hallway, and pointed to a framed photo of Dr. Tenenbaum.

"I asked Santa for my friend, Dr. Tenenbaum, to come home safely." Jack said as Sammy looked curious.

"Why? Is she okay?" Sammy asked.

"I dunno. She left in July to go look for her family in Germany. We haven't heard anything since. I hope she's alright. I asked Santa that if she can't come home for Christmas, then let us at least hear something from her." Jack said with a heavy sigh.

"If that's what you asked Santa for, then he's bound to bring it! Unless you've been naughty." Sammy said tauntingly. Jack smirked at her and chuckled.

"You are your mother's daughter." Jack said as Sammy furrowed her brow.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Sammy asked, confused as Jack led her into the den with the kitchen where Julie, Rosetta, and Amy were standing around and talking.

"Well, look what just walked in." Julie said with a chuckle.

"Looks like you've made a friend Jonathan." Rosetta, or Rose, said with a chuckle.

"Please, Mrs. Mycroft, call me Jack." Jack said pleadingly.

"I can't do that. My brother's named Jonathan but we call him Jack. Calling you Jack would only confuse me." Rose said as Jack sighed in defeat but with a smile.

"Alright, I surrender. Jonathan it is." Jack said as Julie chuckled.

"Come on, Mr. Ryan, let's go see if it's snowing yet." Sammy said as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"I think I could make it snow, daddy." Amy said, earning a glare from Jack.

"Amy." He said warningly.

"I'm only kidding." Amy said with a shrug as Jack, being dragged by Sammy, was pulled towards the backdoor.

"Did I miss something?" Rose asked.

"It's a family thing. Nothing you need to worry about." Julie said casually. Rose seemed satisfied with the answer.

…

A few hours later, everyone had gathered in the den, where the Christmas tree was set up. They had just gone through the gift exchange, Jack personally giving Dick, Jean, and Stephen copies of _Bioshock_ (Which still wasn't officially published) along with whatever else they got. Julie had also gotten Jack a golf club which was privately bemusing to Jack considering his sole memory with a golf club was beating his own father to death with it. Poor Julie, having as yet to read Jack's book, was oblivious to this and missed the 9-Irony (Plus 1 Achievement). They were surprised however when Dick stood up…

"I would like to propose a toast!" Dick said as he raised a glass mug of eggnog.

"You got anything special in mind Dick?" Jean asked.

"Actually I do. To the one person who is absent amongst us. Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum." Dick said, with a smile.

"Really, Dick?" Jean asked in surprise.

"Oh, he just enjoyed singing that old German Christmas song, Oh Tannenbaum only deliberately substituting her name instead and then hearing her politely correcting him with that accent of hers and calling him Herr Mycroft and then muttering something in German that I'm sure was an insult." Julie said as Jack nodded quickly.

"Oh yes it was." He said, in reference to the German insult.

"What does it mean, Jack?" Jean asked as Jack chuckled.

"Jean, please, there are actual women present." Jack said with a smirk before dodging an airborne candy cane.

"But in all honesty, I'm sure Tenenbaum is toasting us a Merry Christmas in Germany right now." Stephen said as the others nodded.

"We even got her a present." Brigid added.

"What did you get her?" Jean asked curiously.

"Well we didn't so much as get it as we did make it." Amy said.

"You made her something?" Rose asked.

"They certainly did. You want to see it? We haven't wrapped it yet. The paint's still drying." Jack said proudly as Amy and Masha scurried up the stairs to retrieve it. After a few moments of careful maneuvering, they emerged from the second floor with a painting of a young Brigid Tenenbaum with the five girls before a dark blue-green backdrop. If you looked closely you could see the outline of what appeared to be a cityscape in the background.

"Would you look at that? It's gorgeous!" Rose said in awe as the girls propped the painting up on a stand.

"We took pictures of Mama Tenenbaum from when she was younger and painted her in. Then we took pictures of us from 1960 and painted ourselves in. We call it Tenenbaum and her Little Ones." Suzy explained.

"Well I imagine she will greatly appreciate it when she gets it." Stephen said with a nod.

"She's gonna end up having to wait until she gets back though. She keeps moving around Germany looking for her family. She's staying away from Berlin what with the Communists and all." Julie said with a sigh.

"My father moved to this country to escape the Communists. I have to admit, I can understand why from what all I've heard." Jack said as he glanced towards the Rosie Diving suit, which was decked out with tinsel and a few ornaments. Instead of the rivet gun, it now had a large fake candy cane.

"Oh come on, let's get off the topic of the reds and focus more on the red and greens, or in the case of this candy cane, the red and whites." Dick said with a chuckle.

"I agree. I say we all-…" Jack was said but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

"Now who could that be at this hour?" Jack asked as he headed to the door.

"Maybe its Santa." Sammy said excitedly. Jack checked through the peep hole and saw a boy. He then opened the door.

"Can I help you?" Jack asked curiously.

"Western Union, sir. Uh, is this the home of one, Jonathan Ryan?" the boy asked as Jack nodded.

"Yes, that's me." Jack said as the boy grinned and handed him a clipboard.

"This is for you then. Sign here, please." He said as Jack signed the paper on the clipboard and handed it back to the boy who took it back and gave Jack a small brown envelope.

"Here you go, sir. Merry Christmas." The boy said as Jack gave the boy two dollars (which was a lot back then).

"Here, for your trouble. And Merry Christmas to you too!" Jack called as the boy rode away on his bicycle. Jack walked inside, looking the envelope over curiously as he shut the door.

"Who's it from, Jack?" Julie asked as Jack opened the envelope and pulled out a folded letter. He unfolded it and read silently…

"_Found little ones (Stop) Now in Iceland (Stop) Need your help (Stop) Await package in mail (Stop) - Tenenbaum." _

"It's from Tenenbaum. She's stuck in Iceland and she needs me to help get her out." Jack said as he pocketed the telegram.

"Well good luck getting out there before Christmas. The airports will be closed." Dick said as Jack nodded.

"I know. She wants me to wait for some sort of package to arrive first anyway." Jack said with a shrug.

"Package? What sort of package?" Jean asked curiously. Jack shrugged helplessly.

"I dunno. She just said to wait for it." Jack said.

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Julie said as the others nodded.

"See! See! It was Santa! He granted Mr. Ryan's Christmas wish!" Sammy exclaimed as Jack laughed.

"Yes…yes he did Sammy. Yes he did." Jack said with a sigh of relief. He definitely slept well that Christmas night.

* * *

**December 29, 1968**

A little over five days had passed since receiving Tenenbaum's telegram, and they had yet to receive Tenenbaum's package. Jack was in his workshop in the old barn which had been refurbished since Tenenbaum's departure, working on a new product for Ryan Vendors. A cold product vendor called "the Gatherer's Garden." Naturally he intended it to look exactly like the old Gathers Garden machines from Rapture but only he and the girls would know. Its new intention was, instead of selling Plasmids and Gene Tonics, was to sell cold or refrigerated products such as bottled soft drinks and fresh water, bags of ice, chilled soups, ice cream, etc. As he worked on building the framework for the machine, he heard what sounded like shouting. He turned and saw Becky and Brigid running towards the workshop.

"Daddy! Daddy!" they shouted as they ran.

"Calm down girls, what's the matter?" He asked, standing up and wiping the grease off his hands with a rag.

"We just got a package in the mail!" Brigid exclaimed.

"The return address is from Iceland!" Becky added. Before they could even blink, Jack was running towards the house.

"Julie! Where is it!" Jack shouted into the house as he walked into the hall.

"Kitchen!" Julie shouted. Jack hurried inside and saw rectangular wooden box marked "Fragile" on the kitchen table.

"Drat! I forgot my crowbar in the workshop." Jack grumbled before he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"But we didn't." Brigid said as she held up a crowbar. Jack snatched the crowbar from her and quickly started prying the lid off the box. Finally it popped open, revealing it full of straw.

"There's nothing here but straw." Suzy said, disappointed.

"I can burn it away." Masha said with a grin, toying with a flame on her index and middle fingers.

"Masha, what did we tell you about fire-starting Plasmids in the house?" Julie scolded. Masha obediently extinguished the flames. Jack in the meantime dug into the straw and found under it was an Accu-vox audio recorder from Rapture.

"Ah ha! Leave it to Tenenbaum to send us another message like this!" Jack said cheerfully as he carefully picked up the audio diary and carried it into the library. He sat it down on a roll top desk and then sat down with a pen and pad of paper, ready to write down whatever instructions Tenenbaum might have sent them. He then paused and grimaced.

"Julie, do me a favor and slap me." Jack grumbled, earning confused looks from the others.

"What? Why?" She asked curiously.

"Because I just thought of another product to market." Jack said with a scowl, turning around in the chair and pointing to the audio diary.

"Just play the message, Jack." Julie said with a chuckle. Jack complied and pressed the play button on the audio diary. The mechanical sound of it starting up was heard followed by Tenenbaum's voice over the faint sound of children at play…

"_I know that you are probably assuming that I am dead. I assure you, I'm not. I sent the telegram to you ahead of time to let you know just that. As I also said in the telegram, I found the kidnapped little ones in Rapture along with something more. I found an old friend of mine and with his help we have managed to return to the surface with them. I was unable to destroy Rapture but I believe that Rapture is about to starve to death on its own without the little ones to provide them with ADAM or anyone to guide the Splicers. That being said, I must now ask for your help mien freund. I need money to help get the little ones back to their rightful homes and I don't have enough…let's say "acceptable currency" to do that on my own. Here's what I need you to do, Herr Ryan. I need you to come to Iceland, to the town of Ólafsvík, where we are currently in hiding. Ask for a man named Carleton Rede. He is a member of that Organization of Pawns that Herr Doctor Stein was a member of and is helping us. He will be staying in a hotel near the airport in the capital city of Reykjavík, called the Rook Motel, waiting for you. I look forward to seeing you again, Herr Ryan. See you soon. Tenenbaum."_

With that the machine shut off. Jack, having written down her instructions immediately leapt up and started heading upstairs.

"Jack, you're leaving now?" Julie asked as she followed after him.

"Have to! I need to try and catch the first plane I can to Reykjavík as soon as possible. Do me a favor. Call Dick and have him spread the word to Jean and the powers-that-be in the company that I've gone to help the doc. I'll probably not get back until after New Years, but I will come back, and with Doctor Tenenbaum, I promise you that." Jack said with a smile.

"We'll let them know." Julie said as Jack started packing a suitcase.

"Oh, one more thing, and this is a precautionary measure. Very carefully go downstairs to my gun safe, use the combination and get my modified pistol along with the strongboxes marked Pistol and Pistol dash Splicers. Then grab the box that has all of my EVE hypos and bring them up stairs to me. Oh and have one of the girls go and bring my wrench too. The red one." Jack instructed.

"What's the Pistol dash Splicers mean?" Julie asked curiously.

"Its anti-personal ammunition. Good against people…and Splicers." Jack said with a shrug as Julie nodded and hurried downstairs. Soon she returned, carefully carrying the unloaded and modified pistol along with a box marked "Pistol" while Amy followed close behind with the box marked "Pistol-Splicers" and the box marked with a drawing of a blue apple.

"I sent Masha for the wrench. Though what do you need it for?" She asked curiously.

"To bash in heads, what else?" Amy asked, earning an incredulous look from Julie.

"Sad part is, she's right." Jack said, earning the same look as Amy set down the box on the bed and headed back downstairs.

"So, what's the plan, Jack?" Julie asked.

"I've already updated my will, so if anything happens, you and the girls get an even share of the family finances and the company. I doubt anything will happen though but considering what happened the last time I was on an airplane…well…better safe than sorry." Jack said dryly as he continued to pack.

"I didn't mean for us Jack. I meant for you. Do you know what you're doing?" Julie asked as Jack nodded.

"I figure I'm going to help her move all those kids back to their homes then bring Tenenbaum and her friend back here." Jack said as Julie nodded.

"I'll have the guest room made up then." Julie said.

"We might not be back for a while. There's no telling how long it'll be till we get everything sorted out. I'll send telegrams as often as I can." Jack said.

"I know that. But I'll still worry. This'll be the first time the two of us have been apart like this since before our wedding." Julie said as Jack paused and nodded with a heavy sigh.

"I know, and I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I could bring you. But I don't know what the situation is right now. I just want you and the girls to be safe." Jack said before Julie quickly kissed him lovingly on the lips.

"I brought the wrench-AUGH Come on Dad! I don't need to see that!" Masha groaned as she recoiled at the sight of her parents kissing. In doing so she dropped the wrench on the bed before turning and running down the stairs.

* * *

**End Chapter 15.**


End file.
